When Worlds Collide
by Lightning Abliss
Summary: Well, apparently I died. Fortunately for me, I wasn't supposed to, so the big man up top gave me a second chance at life, wherever I wanted. Unfortunately for me, things don't go the way I had always imagined. Semicanon AU with a SI/OC. Open to suggestions for pairings. Rated T for some swearing and violence.
1. Chapter 1

When Worlds Collide

Chapter 1: Awakening

 **Well, this is my first fanfic. The purpose of it is pretty much just to test out some ideas I had, and to see how well I can write. If you like it, leave a review! If you don't, leave a review telling me why! Enough of this, let's get on with the story!**

I awoke to find myself in a blank white room. When I say blank, I mean _blank_. There was nothing of color around me. The only objects in the room were the white couch I was laying on, the table and lamp combo of the same color, and a slightly darker shade white door. After the initial shock died down, I looked up to see the door open. Gingerly stepping through the door, a pale skin girl walked in. She had long, wavy auburn hair that flowed down to her waist, with two locks framing a soft featured face, her skin flawless. Her nose was small and slightly hooked, her pink lips slightly pursed as she gazed at me. She wore a simple white dress that dangled loosely at her ankles. When she walked in, the mystery girl eyed me, concern flashing over her ocean blue eyes. When she saw I was awake, they immediately became focused, and her posture slipped from concerned caretaker to the head honcho of the office. Her blue eyes pierced mine, and she began to speak.

"Well, it appears you have come to us sooner than expected, Michael." She stated firmly.

As if floodgates had been opened, memories came rushing back in flashes. I was in the front seat of my friend's Nissan Altima. Next flash, we cross an intersection. My friend played it cautious, claiming to be worried here due to the blind curve at one side of the 4 Way stop. Next flash, a Toyota Tundra slams into the side of us. Flash forward a bit, I'm out of the car, hurtling to the ground in front of an approaching minivan. Next thing I know, everything is black, and there's a nasty crunch, then the sounds of screeching tires.

"Am I… dead?"

"Unfortunately, yes," the enigma said. "According to all our records, you weren't supposed to be here for another 30 years."

"So it was all a freak accident…" I spoke slowly.

"This must be very confusing for you. I guess I ought to explain things," the girl said softly, her voice soothing and melodic. "Basically, you are near the Gates of Heaven. You are in what some refer to as Purgatory. Usually, you wouldn't awake until our Creator is ready to either accept you or send you away. I'm sure you can figure out what happens if you don't get accepted. Our reports say you were a genius in your past life."

"Purgatory, past life, Heaven, you say all these things as if they're supposed to comfort me. In case you haven't noticed, _I just died._ Everything I was, my dreams, my friends, all of that, gone. So explaining things like you're just reading a script, which you probably are, isn't the best idea."

"What would you rather me do then, Michael?" She asked, somewhat startled by my outburst.

"Well, for starters, you haven't explained who, or even _what_ you are. Also, cut the formal act. It doesn't suit you."

"I guess that is fair. I am called Sophie, and I am a Courtroom Angel. Basically, my role is to prepare any new arrivals for judgment, and escort said arrivals to wherever the Creator chooses."

"Well Sophie, I would introduce myself, but it appears your records already say everything about me," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "So you're like my guardian angel during these times."

"I wish," she laughed, her voice sounding as beautiful as a bird's morning song. "I'm still one level below the Guardian ranks."

"Ah, that makes you the guardian angel's intern. Haha!" I teased.

"Well, I'm not supposed to be one for much longer!" She claimed, blushing as red as cherries. "I was actually in line for a promotion… You were supposed to be my final arrival."

"Well, judging from how you claimed I'm here early, something has gone wrong, hasn't it?" I pointed out.

"They were right, you are observant." Sophie said, smiling slightly. "Yes, you were not supposed to be here for a while. 30 years if my memory serves me correctly."

"Well, what happens now?" I asked, concerned. "Do I get to go back to my old life? Do I just survive that fatal accident?"

"Unfortunately, no. What we didn't show you was your body after that accident. It's… not something you can come back from."

"Tell me what happened." I demanded.

"Are you sure?" That same concern from before crossing Sophie's eyes as she asked.

"Yes."

"You broke half of your ribs, cracking the other half. Your legs were twisted into a pretzel shape, all of your teeth were knocked out and somehow ended up getting embedded into your spine. To make matters worse, your neck was snapped, only hanging on by the skin." She rushed through the words, as if she was trying to rip off a band-aid.

"Well, damn." I said, repeating my favorite phrase.

* * *

After some lengthy explanations as to how my friends and family turn out, Sophie claps her hands.

"Well Michael, it's time for your judgment, follow me." She said, determined.

"Lead the way, Miss Boss Lady."

I followed Sophie through the door into a light grey hallway. The hallway was filled with what appeared to be hundreds of the same type of room we were just in. After what felt to be about five minutes, we reached a large door. The door was cream colored, and ornately decorated with gold. Two golden door handles, shaped like angel wings, protruded outwards. Looking closer, I realized the decorations were all like that. The lines of gold consisted of golden fathers and golden grapevines. When we stopped in front of the door, Sophie turned to me.

"Are you ready to literally meet your maker?"

"Are you going to keep making terrible puns?"

"Let's just get this over with." She sighed. I swear I heard her mumble something about me being the worst possible last arrival.

Sophie knocked and a loud booming voice commanded us to enter. The doors swung open, pushed by two male angels, each clad in ornate gold and silver armor, their large white wings folded against their backs. Sophie immediately walked forward, and on autopilot I followed.

The room itself looked like a Roman Amphitheater. To the left sat a large crowd of angels, sat in theater style chairs. To the right sat a giant man, wearing a golden toga. He had what appeared to be olive colored skin, or wait, was he black? Maybe pale? Upon closer inspection, his skin was slowly shifting through shades. Neat.

Sat on either side of the man were 12 older, wiser looking angels when compared to the young twenty-something Sophie looked. There were 9 male and 3 female angels mixed together. Each had on a white toga.

Sophie led me to a podium facing the man and the toga-clad angels, with our backs to the seated crowd. Once there, Sophie turned and faced the man.

"My Lord, I have brought the… unique case, Michael, to you as you have requested." She said, bowing.

"Thank you, child. You have done well." The man spoke, his voice as deep as oceans, yet as soft as cotton. He spoke. Judging from the inflections in his voice, he was most likely smiling, something I bet radiated more warmth than the sun. Speaking of suns, one was currently shining through an opening in the white ceiling, obscuring everything chest up from view. He turned to me. "Ah, Michael. I am so terribly sorry to hear what happened to you. I'm afraid this was the work of my own failure, in one of my fallen children. Do you have anything to say?"

"I, uh, um…' I stammered. I wasn't sure what was happening. Was this God? Like, the creator of everything, King of Kings, capital G, _God_?! What do I even say to him?

"It is okay, my child. Think of it as prayer. I listen then, and I shall listen now." He reassured, his voice as sweet as honey.

"G-God?" I questioned.

"That is one of many names I am referred to as. If that is the one you are most comfortable with, please refer to me as such."

"Ok… So, what am I doing here, Lord? Sophie told me that I'm supposed to be judged, and that depending on the judgment I'll either end up in heaven, or in what she hinted at was hell. But both of you have referred to me as a special case. What does that mean?"

"I knew you were going to ask that." He said warmly. "What it means is that you were sent to me by unnatural means, and placed in a position that you cannot go back. As much as I know you would enjoy heaven, I am afraid you are not yet ready. Why don't you tell the Archangels how old you are, child?" He gestured to the angels seated by him.

"I am-er, was- seventeen when a Toyota Tundra slammed into the side of my friend and I's vehicle." I explained.

The angels immediately began whispering to one another, almost as if they were shocked by this new turn of events. Finally, God motioned for them to quiet down. "Seeing as how you have not yet lived a fulfilling life, I am giving you a second chance. You will be able to choose any universe you wish to live in. Your new Guardian Angel will explain to you how that will work."

Now it was Sophie's turn to speak. "Sir, where should I take him?"

"Well child, I believe you have earned the title of Guardian Angel. So you will take him to any of the open rooms and explain the situation, which I understand you are well aware of." God said, with that same warmth.

"S-Sir!?" Sophie stammered.

"Yes, you have earned the title. Don't you agree?" God turned to the Archangels. Nods and murmurs of agreement were heard. "Well Sophie, allow me to be the first to congratulate you. Unfortunately, there are other matters to deal with, so please take you and your arrival's leave now."

"Yes sir!" Sophie said, smiling.

"Thank you so much, Lord! I am very grateful!" I busted out with. What, was I expected to silently accept? No, I'm gonna thank the Guy who just bought my ticket to happiness.

"You are welcome child. Live a fulfilling life, and an honest one."

* * *

After a silent walk back to the room I awoke in, I congratulated Sophie.

"Thank you!" She beamed. "Now, on to business…"

She began to hash out the terms of my new life. I would be given a choice as to what universe I could live in. Depending on which one I choose, other conditions would apply. If I chose a random one I knew nothing about, I would be able to safely transition into my new life, forgetting everything about my old one. But if I chose a fictional one, one I knew about, I would have to take some risks if I wanted to keep my knowledge. Sophie was about to leave to allow me time to think, but fortunately for her, I had already made my choice.

"So, where would you like to be born anew?" She asked, surprised. Usually people take hours to decide.

"I choose… The world of Shinobi and Chakra, Naruto."

 **Sorry for the long chapter, but it's necessary to establish some thigs that will happen in the next chapter. Chapters will be shorter from here on out (Unless you like the long ones) and the plot will pick up. But just like every book, the first chapters are always the slowest. I promise things will pick up in the next one and things we shall enter the world of Naruto. Imma stop rambling now, so please, Rate and Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

When Worlds Collide

Chapter 2: Born Anew

 **Welcome to chapter 2! As promised, we do finally make it into the fantastic world of Shinobi. Enough talk, to the story!**

* * *

"I choose… The world of Shinobi and Chakra, Naruto."

"Really?" Sophie asked. "The place that is literally constantly faced with violence and destruction. That is where you want to be?"

"Absolutely. Being a ninja sounds like fun, and hey, I already know everything that happens, so I'll have a strategic advantage!"

"Well…" Sophie started, putting on an expression of guilt. "That isn't necessarily true. Remember how I said there were certain conditions for each world?"

"Yea, why?" I asked, slightly worried. If she feels that guilty, something major must be up.

"To maintain balance in that world, and not make you overpowered, there are two options for your reincarnation." Sophie stated. So, I can't be the OP character that knows everything? Dammit!

"What are the options?" I hesitantly asked.

"Well, the first is that you will be placed as a background character, going on adventures that have nothing to do with the main story." Sophie explained. "You will be a run of the mill Shinobi, on a team of your equals running missions and fighting in battles no one has heard of. You can choose what village you will live in and do missions for. You will also be able to choose your nature affinity."

"So, what's to keep me from picking the Leaf and alerting the Hokage of what happens?" I asked. "It seems like I could just cheat the system."

"Well, we have a plan for that. All memory of your past life and what has transpired here will be erased." Sophie said. "You will live your life as a Shinobi in happiness and obliviousness."

"What's the second option?" I asked. I mean, the first one sounds decent and all, but that can't be the _best_ option.

"The second, is what we call The Lottery." Sophie said mischievously. "Basically, everything about you is random, and I mean _everything_. Your chakra nature, village, time period, appearance, and clan are all played out like a slot machine."

"That sounds interesting," I admitted. "but there isn't really anything that makes that one better than the other."

"Well, you didn't let me finish." Sophie claimed. "You will retain all knowledge you currently possess. You will have a guaranteed Kekkei Genkai, and can potentially alter canon." So my dreams of being an OP OC can be real. Yes!

"I know what you're thinking, but we can't have you running around knowing everything, now can we?" Sophie said, crushing my sweet, sweet dreams. "Every choice in the story has a chance to be changed. It can be everything as simple as Naruto deciding to eat breakfast before the bell test, to as drastic as Danzo deciding to go along with Shisui's plan. There will also be random characters added to various groups, again from as simple as a few new examinees in the Chunin Exams, to whole new clans with unique trends and Kekkei Genkai being added. And before you ask, yes, there is a potential for you to be in one of those clans. This is simply to keep you from becoming a tyrannical overlord or something."

"Well that option is infinitely better than the first," I pointed out. "I get to keep my memories and have a fun new universe guaranteed."

"The only things guaranteed in The Lottery is that you will be male, have a Kekkei Genkai, and retain your memories. Everything else is random. _Everything_. What happens if you are an Uchiha born the day before Itachi's slaughter? Or if you are a young Kaguya dragged to fight the Mist Village?"

"Well damn. That is tricky. I guess we'll just have to find out what happens. I'm gonna go with The Lottery."

"Well, I wish you the best of luck, Michael." Sophie said, smiling brightly. "As your new Guardian, I will watch over you. And because you keep your memories, I don't have to mind erase you when we have annual meetings or if you see my interference."

"Wait, so you guys interfere then memory wipe us? I had a Guardian Angel before you? I had _meetings_? I have so many questions right now."

Sophie just smiled. "So many questions, so little time. Goodbye Michael, I'll see you in a little while. Take care of yourself."

"Wait, no, I don't wanna go yet, answer me! What happened with my angel? Why didn't they save me? Why did"

Everything went black. The last sight I had was Sophie holding back laughter. Damn angel. Laughing at my expense. Guess I'll just make her job difficult.

* * *

When I regained consciousness, something was wrong. My vision was blurry, everything felt bigger, colder, _scarier_. To make things worse, there was something tingly surrounding me, every now and then twitching against me. I felt wet, and this _was not okay_. I started screaming, wailing, hoping anything would make this _damn_ tingling go away. It was then that I realized there were hands, _ginormous_ hands holding me. Am I a baby? Dammit Sophie! You didn't mention me needing to go through childbirth. This is terrible. Then again, what did I expect. I began to calm down, slowly getting used to the tingly feeling. I heard a voice, soothing and feminine, shushing me. She also began speaking in a language that sounded strangely Japanese. My vision slowly focused, and I saw her face. She looked like Sophie, but with a slightly squarer jawline. Her emerald green eyes were surrounded by bangs of raven black hair, and the rest of her hair was pulled into a tight ponytail. She smiled, said something in that same familiar language, and turned me to what I'm assuming was my mother. She looked nearly identical, but she wore her shoulder length hair down to her shoulders. She looked exhausted, and was covered in sweat. I was slowly handed to her, and she smiled down at me, looking relieved, and said one word to me.

" _Kai_."

* * *

 **So ends chapter two. This one was fairly easy to write, hence it being released so quickly. The reason I'm saying this is that I want to know how you guys would like for me to release chapters. Should I release them upon completion, or have scheduled releases so publish times don't vary. Let me know in a review, a pm, or whatever. Please Rate and Review!**

 **Also, shout out to Ebony sword and Amikotsu for being the first two people to follow this story. I only published the first chapter earlier this afternoon, so you guys ROCK!**


	3. Chapter 3

When Worlds Collide

Chapter 3: Childhood Questions

 **Holy shit, two chapters up for literally one day and the support is already amazing! General consensus for release is for me to do whatever, as long as I release chapters. Just so I can give myself a bit of a cushion in case of Writer's Block or just plain lack of time, I'm going to start releasing chapters weekly. From now on, chapters should be published on Wednesdays, unless I release extra. Enough announcements, on to the story!**

* * *

Living as a teenager in a toddler's body is not fun. All the freedoms you are used to having are gone, and the simple things in life, like _solid food_ , are unavailable. I'm getting close to a year old now, and I'm starting to figure things out. The warm, tingly feeling I'm experiencing is my chakra. Looks like I'm a lightning element. Cool. I'm also starting to learn Japanese, which is tricky, but easy when it's literally _all you ever hear_. I'm able to talk some, and my new parents are really excited about that. They're saying I'm of above average intelligence. Oh, if they only knew. I've already got a headstart on my Shinobi training, specifically, information gathering.

One of the first things I learned was my name, Kai. It was the one word they almost always used when talking to me, so that was fairly easy. Next, I learned that I'm from a completely new clan, just like Sophie said there would be. Speaking of which, next time I meet with her I'm gonna chew her out for being uncreative. Why? Because this stupid clan, the Shimada, is literally based off Genji and Hanzo from Overwatch. Dragons and temple structures included. But I mean hey, at least I'm not a Kaguya. Also, I kind of wondered what those two would be like in Naruto. Guess I'm about to find out.

It appears that I lucked out with the time period I'm in, because I was recently introduced to a certain wild haired Inuzaka, known better as Kiba. With luck, I could even end up in the same class as Naruto! But do I become friends with him? Do I even need to? Sophie said that certain things would be different, so there's a possibility he gets the love and attention he deserves. While I'm on topic, do I even try to interfere with things? I always wanted the Uchiha massacre to not happen, but without it Sasuke wouldn't get nearly as powerful as he does, which is entirely necessary if we ever want to stop the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Will any of that even matter? Because choices are randomized here. Fucking hell, this is hard. I open my eyes and look around from my crib.

I'm in a small room, with my crib pushed into the back-left corner. Adjacent to the crib is a rocking chair my new momma rocks me in every night. In the front-right corner is the door and next to that is a small wooden dresser, which holds all my clothes. Sounds barren, I know, but I haven't even gotten to the best part.

The right-side wall is entirely covered by a mural of a red dragon swirling around a mountain. On top of the mountain is what appears to be a warrior, decked out in full plate armor, except for his bare right arm. He has a scroll rolled out in front of him, and from the scroll, blue chakra is swirling up onto the man's bare arm, forming intricate tattoos. What's so special about this painting? Well, it goes along with a story my new dad told me.

Back before the Warring States period, there was a man. His name has been lost through the years, only being known as the Dragon Master. His family was currently feuding with the Hyuga, and they were losing. The man traveled far and wide, hoping he could bring assistance in the bloody war. Eventually, the man found a valley. The valley was covered in mist, a constant storm raging above. Rising from the valley, reaching into the sky, was a small mountain. The Dragon Master would proceed to trek the valley, meeting vicious winds and lightning strikes. The man did not give up, and he would manage to climb the mountain. Once atop it, he discovered a small dragon statue. When he picked it up, there was a burst of blue energy, and the storm and mist were cleared. Now, before the man was a large wise dragon. The man fell to his knees before the beast, and begged for its assistance with the Hyuga. The dragon, hearing the pain and anguish in his voice, agreed. The dragon produced a scroll. The scroll, once signed, would bond the dragon with the blood of the man. The dragon's powerful chakra appeared as tattoos on the man's arm. Thanks to the power granted by the beast, the man and his family could contest the Hyuga, eventually coming to a standstill. The man had his family take on the name Shimada, and the dragon's power was passed through the generations.

It's a cool story for the kids, but some things don't quite add up. It sounds like the Dragon Master discovered a sacred mountain, and became a sage. But that doesn't explain the passed through generations part. Questions for later.

"Kai?" Mom softly called. She then said a sequence of words, followed by the Japanese word for "awake."

It doesn't seem like it, but I _need_ to be asleep right now. Mom makes me see my family when I skip out on nap time, and if Aunty Kana pinches my cheeks one more time they will fall off.

I immediately lay back down and pretend to be asleep, hoping I can fool her. Lucky for me, I do trick her, and she leaves. Crisis averted. As much as I like seeing Aunty Kana, especially considering she's the one that led me to the conclusion that I'm in the Leaf, or at least near Konoha. That's good enough for me.

Right now, priority number one is learning to speak, so I can learn more about chakra and how to control it. But that's a whole other battle, and it's like they always say, baby steps.

* * *

 **Another chapter done. I pretty much rushed this one so I could make that announcement, and besides, it makes next chapter easier to write thanks to the exposition. Once again I just want to thank all of you for the support, and I aim to continue providing good content for you all. Next post will be on Wednesday, and will remain like that for the rest of this story. Until then, please Review, Rate, and all that stuff.**


	4. Chapter 4

When Worlds Collide

Chapter 4: Adolescent Assassin

 **Welcome back! So, these next couple of chapters are going to be part of what I have lovingly titled the Shimada Arc. Basically, expect the next few chapters to be detailing what happens leading up to our first major decision change. Enough talk, to the story!**

* * *

Turns out the Shimada were being targeted by the Hyuga for a reason back in the Warring States period. That reason is? We're training fucking _assassins_. What's the difference between that and a normal Shinobi? Shimada are taught to kill at age _three_. Most three year olds don't even know what death is, much less be forced to _execute a criminal_. Turns out that's one of many rites of passage for Shimada. After a Shimada's third birthday, if said child wants to become a Shinobi, they must sneak into the Death Row portion of the jail and execute any of the prisoners there. What makes it even harder is the fact that we are only given a small wakizashi blade, a type of sword that is basically a smaller, slightly more curved katana. Once the sword is bloodied, then the child may begin Shinobi training. And I thought the Mist Village test was bad. Zabuza ain't got nothing on us.

That brings me to my current location, the roof of Konoha's jail. My target is a serial killer, known for raping then slitting the throats of over twenty women. I was given a map with a preferred route through the jail to his cell, a handheld mirror, a smoke bomb, and what is to be my wakizashi. The blade is obviously scaled down for my child self, as the blade is only about 10 cm long. The simple curved blade shines blue in the pale moonlight, a stark contrast to the black leather handle and sheath. Looking down on it, it's obvious the blade is razor sharp, one small touch to the edge enough to cut. I tilt the blade, and catch a glimpse of myself. I'm dressed in the standard black suits of the village, with specialized sandals for stealth. I say specialized but I really mean that they're typical sandals with cloth draped around the bottom to avoid the creation of noise. The lower half of my face is covered in a mask, leaving only my cheekbones and dark grey eyes uncovered. My forehead is covered with a simple black headband, with my jet black hair pulled back into a warriors ponytail. I sheath the blade, thinking over the conversation I had with Uncle Touhiro last week.

* * *

"Your stealth training has gone great so far, Kai." Uncle Touhiro said. He was a very tall man, almost as tall as Killer Bee. His deep blue eyes peered down at me, a slight smile on his lips, curving the scar that ran diagonal across his cheek down to his chin. His jagged hair was ruffled by the slight breeze running through the cherry blossom clearing we were in.

"You really think so?" I said, excited. Uncle Touhiro was one of the best when it came to stealth. Apparently he has a story where he managed to sneak past the Hokage Anbu Guard, a group that contained an Uchiha and two Hyuga. If he was saying I'm doing good, then that means I must be a fucking _legend_.

"No, you're footfalls are too heavy, and that damn ponytail of yours has a tendency to stick out over any surface you're crouched behind." Uncle Touhiro, while a stealth master, was also known for being an asshole. "I'd just cut the damn thing if I were you."

"But Uncle, I liiiiikkkkeeee itttttttt." I said, pouting. I thought it made me look like a weeb, but in the world where I'm literally in an anime, might as well embrace the weeb culture.

"Fine. At least wear it a bit lower when you go to the rite." Uncle said, a small twinge of amusement in his eyes. "All that being said, your foresight and ingenuity are above where they need to be. The only thing you really have an issue with is noise. But, if all goes as it should, the halls should be damn near empty when you go for your rite, and the noise of the city should cover you as you ascend the walls."

"Understood, Uncle." I said, suddenly formal. I knew better than to not be formal when Uncle gave specific compliments. If you're informal, or god forbid _disrespectful_ , he has some very specific insults waiting alongside a lightning fast jab to the stomach.

"That's the last thing I can tell you. I have a mission coming up, and I won't return until the night of your rite. I should be able to help you gear up, and I believe Sansa wants me to help present your birthright." Uncle said, carefully choosing his words. Technically, what the Shimada do is illegal. Fortunately for us, the Hokage has given us the go ahead to continue the tradition. Unfortunately for us, he has also not given us sanctity, and if one is caught they will face the full punishment for their crime. Because of this, specific talk is not allowed outside of the Head Council Chamber, where we receive our target, and our tools.

"You know how mother gets when it comes to these things. It would be best, for all of us, if you were there." I said, sighing. Mother always blows up about the traditions, and if it isn't followed down to the arrangement of the tools, she shows everyone why she is known as the Green Demon.

"Sansa is a sucker for traditions, isn't she?" Touhiro laughed. "Yea, I'll be there kid, don't worry."

* * *

I smiled thinking back on the memory. The presentation wasn't anything special, just Uncle giving me my blade, reciting something about the blade being an extension of one's own identity, and blah blah blah. Then the council gave me my target, my mirror and map, and I was off. Now we're here.

I lean over the edge of the roof, looking down at the windows of the top floor, the office area. Like Uncle said, the office closest to the staircase on the left is slightly opened. Using the mirror, I confirm the office is empty, and I climb down onto the ledge and raise the window some, just enough to climb in. The office was nothing special, just a desk and some filing cabinets. What was important was the cracked doorway, leading out into the hall. Directly across the hall was the opening to the stairwell. I just needed to get through the door and make my way down two levels. Once again, my mirror came in handy. I used it to peer around the door, seeing the long hallway of different offices. There was a single guard, heading down the hall away from me towards an open door at the end. I smirked and made my move. As swift as the wind I was through the door and heading down the stairwell, practically noiseless. These shoes come in handy. Once down the stairs, I got to the Death Row level. Here comes the tricky part. There is usually one guard that patrols the hallway while the prisoners sleep, making a loop around the outskirts of the floor. The issue was the fact that my target was in the farthest right corner, and I needed to get past a guard, and about 30 cells to get to him. If I woke a single prisoner, or if any of them were awake, I was screwed.

Lucky for me, the council devised a plan. I would need to go the opposite direction of the guard and go the long way. If I stick to that path, I should pass nothing but empty cells and solitary confinement doors. I just have to wait for the guard to pass, and move quickly to my target. Once again, fortune favored me, as the guard passed by and I was able to make my move. The cells were empty as predicted, and I made my way to the back wall, with the solitary cells. I used the mirror to check around the corner and almost dropped it in shock. This was not planned for. Slowly walking down this back wall was a _second guard_. He's closing on me, and I have nowhere to hide. Shit shit shit. Think, cmon, think.

The guard walked around the corner, looking to the inner wall, then the outer, before resuming his course down the hallway. Above him, I smirked behind my mask. I waited until he was a few paces away, and I let go of the vent on the ceiling, climbing back down the bars of the empty cell. That was too close. I made my way to my targets cell, and pulled the master key I swiped from the office out. Unlocking the solitary door, I opened it slightly and slipped inside.

Laying in the bed was my target. He was a middle aged man, slightly heavyset, his brown hair balding. I made my way to him, pulling my blade from its sheath on my lower back. I made my way to the man, setting up the strike from my blade, held in a reverse grip. One simple slash down to the throat, and I can leave. Slowly breathing out, I swung down.

The next second and a half would be forever ingrained in my brain. Time seemed to slow down as the blade sliced through the air. The man's eyes opened, startled by the sudden exhale. He saw me standing there, and a blade traveling for his throat. His expression changed to that of fear, the last one to ever be on his face. The man did not want to die, but he had no choice in this matter. The blade pierced his flesh and a scream started to raise from his throat, but it was caught by the blade, instead coming out as a slight sputtering of blood onto my face. The sword swiftly cut all the way through, fully decapitating the man. His expression stayed, and the light slowly drained from his eyes. Blood began to pour out of the man, making the once white sheets red.

Time resumed normally, and I stood there frozen in place. The blood kept flowing, starting to spill over onto the floor in a small pool. His expression was still the same, and it would only solidify. I wiped the blood from my blade on his shirt, and sheathed it. I wasn't sure what to think, but I knew I needed to leave.

The next few minutes were all a blur, nothing but the man in my mind. I don't really remember making my way back to the stairwell, or slipping into the office, putting the key back, and leaving through the window. The trip from rooftop to rooftop back to our compound might as well have not happened, as I don't remember an of it. I made it to the back entrance, and saw Uncle and Mother standing there, both with knowing faces. They took me by each hand back home, helped me wash up and change into sleepwear, and put me to bed. I laid on the small cot for hours, waiting for sleep to come. It never did.

* * *

 **So ends the heaviest chapter yet. Kai is technically 19 mentally, but keep in mind that three year olds were expected to do this. Leave a Review to let me know what you thought, and I'll see you next week.**


	5. Chapter 5

When Worlds Collide

Chapter 5: Perseverance

 **Welcome Back! This chapter doesn't really progress the plot all that much, but after finishing the next chapter it became pretty clear to me that I needed to release this one first. This is the penultimate chapter of the Shimada Arc, and then we will get to the fun stuff, starting the Academy. Anyways, without further ado, this is chapter 5.**

* * *

I was given the typical break from training. Every child is given a week to cope with the reality of the Shinobi Lifestyle. When the week is up, they must choose whether or not to continue training. There is no shame in quitting, in fact, they expect it. If you choose to not be a Shinobi, you will be given a job around the compound. You can be a maintenance worker, a cook, tailor, whatever civilian job you might want. Because of this, the Shimada Compound is fully self-sufficient. Rather impressive.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I was done avoiding the topic. I am a killer. I murdered a man in cold blood, and nobody but the Council, Uncle, and Mother know it was me. The Council sent me a letter, praising me for my work, insisting that it had to be done. That's what everyone here says. The man was a violent criminal, and he was sentenced to death. He was gonna die either way. Yet I still can't get his horrified face out of my mind. I was with the man in his last moments, in fact I caused them. Everything the man ever was or wanted to be is now gone, only memories in the distant wind. Only it's not so distant for me.

I have another three days to decide what I want to do, and it isn't helping that mom is going through one of _those_ phases. I found in Dad's study, clutching a picture of him to her chest, emerald eyes puffy and stained by tears. Nothing I could do would cheer her up, so I sat and cried with her.

I guess I don't really think about him that much. Truth is I never met him. He died during the Kyuubi assault. I was born three weeks later. It's weird to think about, but the man that created this body I reside in is gone, and I will never know him. He left me and mom, but I can't help but see the bright side in this situation. If he hadn't left, Uncle Touhiro wouldn't have started training me. Me and mother wouldn't have bonded as much. I'm probably reaching, but hey, whatever works to dull the pain.

* * *

I stand before the Elder Council. Five Shimada, all dressed in the clan's black garb, rest upon a raised platform. In front of the platform is a set of stairs, leading down to a court-like area, where I currently stand behind a podium. In the center is the Clan Head, a tall and stocky man, with the typical jet black hair of a Shimada that hung down to his shoulders. His eyes were a golden shade of yellow, piercing into me. Beside him sat the Clan Elders, heads of some of the more influential Shinobi families in the Shimada, each had either green, blue, purple, or orange eyes. No matter the color, all were looking down at me. It was scary.

The Clan Head spoke first. "Child, one week ago you completed your first rite. No one since Touhiro has pulled their first so smoothly. You would make a fine Shinobi. That being said, you are not forced to make any decisions. If you wish to remain a civilian, so be it. We have plenty of jobs available, and open slots in the schoolhouse. What say you, Kai?" He asked, eyebrow raised.

"Merely seven nights ago, during the mission you gave me, a three year old, I lost my innocence. I was forced to watch as a man struggled to grasp the concept of death. I watched everything he was fade away, only being replaced by a hollow husk and a pool of blood. One week ago I grew past childhood, thanks to an old decision by elders losing a war, and I have no reason to turn back now." I had been practicing that speech in my head for a while. It was elegant enough to get my point across, yet powerful enough that hopefully they will change their ways. Here's to hoping.

"It is as they say," one of the Elders laughed, orange eyes sparkling. "The boy is very eloquent, yet very biting. He is his mother's child, and his uncle's pupil, as much a prodigy as he is an ass!"

I had to force myself not to grin. I'm glad he got my message. I look back to the Clan Head, seeing the remnants of a grin fade from his face as he moved back to business.

"You have chosen to remain a Shinobi. Remember, you may back out at any time until the Genin exam. You will continue training under Touhiro, and he will instruct you in the ways of our unique kenjutsu style. You will continue until your second rite, afterwards you will be placed in the Konoha Academy. Does this sound reasonable to you?"

"Yes sir, Lord Yakasutchi." I said, quoting his title. Might as well flatter him, gives me a better chance of convincing him to abandon tradition. This isn't the Warring States Period, we don't need child soldiers right now.

"Well, allow me to be the first to welcome you to you new way of life, Kai." Yakasutchi said, giving a light bow.

I returned the ow, smiling lightly. "I am honored, my Lord. I shall take my leave now. There is much to be done."

"That there is, child, that there is."

* * *

 **A bit of a boring chapter, I know, but it's kind of necessary. This chapter was purely just to progress how Kai is coping with his first kill, and develop the Shimada clan a little bit further. Also, I hope you guys didn't forget about Michael's promised kekkei genkai. I've been leaving clues as to what it is, and how it will change him. Anyone catch that? Next chapter will be the final in this arc, so I will see you then.**


	6. Chapter 6

When Worlds Collide

Chapter 6: Shimada Sealing

 **So, I may have went crazy with writing over the weekend. I am now six chapters ahead of schedule, so... Anyway, this is actually not the last chapter of the Shimada Arc. After making a few executive decisions (putting ideas in a hat and drawing at random) I decided to extend the Shimada Arc. Don't worry, because it extends into Academy life a little bit. Enough announcements, it's time for the story!**

* * *

The Shimada had a special style of bukijutsu with the wakizashi blade. They call it Dragon Fang. The style itself might as well be a work of art. Instead of being an outright assault as many other taijutsu and bukijutsu styles are, Dragon Fang is a dance. The user flows around the battlefield, providing long, fast slashes against the opponent's vital points while simultaneously spinning, flowing, or flipping away from any counterattack. When practicing what they call _kotas_ , a combo of moves to be practiced against their own shadow, one might be mistaken into believing the Shimada is dancing.

Speaking of _kotas_ , there I was, in my backyard. It had been three years since my first kill, and I had all but moved on. The only thing to get rid of were the nightmares. Anyway, I happened to be doing a backflip, my eyes barely leaving the shadow on the ground. I watched as it flipped back onto its feet, holding its wakizashi in a reverse grip. I slashed at it, spinning to avoid its own slash. The purpose of the _kota_ was to cement the counter-movements necessary to perform the Dragon Fang style. Whenever I strike, the shadow also strikes, requiring me to dodge. Rather ingenious, if you ask me.

I had been going for three hours now, and I was tired. Deciding to stop, I landed a backflip, sheathed my blade, and bowed to my "worthy adversary." Taking the sheathed blade of my lower back, I began to examine it. The blade was new, a gift for my sixth birthday. Unlike the 10 cm blade I had used to kill, this one was the minimum full size length of 30 cm. I loved it. Unsheathing a portion of the blade, I examined my reflection. Not much had changed. I had pretty much just grown larger, and I was no longer awkwardly proportioned as three year olds were. My mask was gone, revealing the rest of my ivory colored face. A small smirk was on my lips as I resheathed the blade and placed it on the rack by the back door.

"Kai, sweetie, make sure you shower!" Mother called from the kitchen. "We don't want the Elders to think you're some kind of slob, especially on the night of your second rite!"

"No mother," I called back, amused. "I don't want anyone thinking that. Except maybe Lord Yagasutchi, he would think it befits a Shinobi."

"Either way, I'm not letting you ruin the tradition because the Elders were distracted by your stink. To the showers with you!"

"Right away, mother." I laughed. Mom had cheered up immensely when I began to move on. I worked myself to the bone to get through the pain of it all, and now she couldn't be prouder of me. I was easily on second year Academy level of taijutsu, I just needed to work on the rest. Either way, tonight was my big night. I would finally get what makes the Shimada special. Tonight, I get my dragon.

* * *

Standing in front of the mirror, I was excited. I was wearing the Shimada's typical black color in the form of a Gi. The outfit suit me, at least in my opinion. The black garb, my black hair pulled into a ponytail, and grey eyes staring determined straight ahead. I looked like I did not want to be trifled with, and the blade strapped horizontally across my lower back only helped that look. I felt like a badass.

"Are you ready Kai?" Mother asked, walking into the bathroom. "Ah, my little Shinobi. You look fierce, Kai."

"Thanks!" I beamed. Mother was wearing a black kimono with green trim. Sewed onto the torso of the garb was a green dragon, swirling around her front and back side, it's head breathing fire across her chest. "I'm all set to go."

We walked to the main building where the ceremony would take place, a large temple in the center of the compound, surrounded by a still river and rock gardens. Walking across a small red bridge, we entered the wooden temple. Inside, the other children were waiting. I hugged my mom for good luck, and joined them in the center of the room, while mother went with the rest of the clan around the outskirts of the room.

Against the far wall from the entrance were the seated elders, similar stairs leading down from their raised platform down to the rest of the room. Instead of it leading directly to the rest of the room, the base of the stairs ended on a small platform in the center of a large circular pool. The pool was filled with water that glowed a slight blue hue, showing the chakra emanating from within. The pool itself was no more than a foot deep, yet the chakra made it feel as vast as an ocean. When I took my place with the rest of the soon-to-be Shinobi, Lord Yagasutchi clapped his hands.

"Now that everyone has arrived, we can begin with the Second Rite of the Shimada Clan, The Bonding of Dragons." The Clan Head spoke, his golden eyes scanning the room. "I shall now explain what this means. Today, you will receive what sets the Shimada clan apart from the rest. Years ago, the Dragon Master climbed to the top of a Sacred Mountain, and was blessed with the power of the Father of All Dragons. That power has passed down through the generations by way of the dragon spirits, the Red Dragon's children. Each spirit type has bonded to a particular weapon, and depending on what Spirit chooses you will determine what weapon you shall continue your training with, alongside your wakizashi. Elder Seiichiro, would you bring forth the weapons?"

"Yes, Yagasutchi." The orange eyed elder from before said. He brought a scroll down the stairs to the platform in the pool, and unfurled it on the grown. Once unrolled, Seiichiro bit his thumb to and smeared it across the long scroll. Suddenly, in a puff of smoke, on top of the scroll were five weapons. Seiichiro began moving from left to right, touching each weapon and announcing their name.

"Katana of Genji, host of Emerald Spirits," he said, touching an ornate katana. So that's who mother was bonded with. Genji. I should have known.

"Kusarigama of Hanzo, host of Blue Spirits." Seiichiro said, moving to the left. Not a bow for Hanzo? Interesting. Well, there's Uncle's weapons. Twin sickles with chains attached. Deadly and cool.

Still moving down the line, Seiichiro announced the rest of the weapons. "Naginata of Saitamai, host of Violet Spirits. Sais of Ochiiro, host of Golden Spirits, and the Nunchuks of Tarimari, host of Orange Spirits." Bowing lightly, Seiichiro let out one last sentence before heading back up the stairs. "Blessed spirits, please choose wisely, and continue the prosperity of our clan."

"Now," Yagasutchi said, "Let us begin!"

The first kid to step up was Yagasutchi's own child, Taibe. He was the spitting image of his father, only with grey eyes, like the rest of the kids. He stepped into the pool, and kneeling before the platform, holding the Tiger hand seal, he muttered a single sentence. "Shimada Technique: Spirit Dragon Awakening."

At first, nothing happened. Then, without warning, startling some of the kids, a gigantic golden dragon made of pure chakra erupted from the sais. It swirled in the air for a moment, letting out a massive breath of fire, before roaring and diving into the pool in front of Taibe. Instead of a splash, there was a ripple of golden chakra, changing the hue of the water to match. Lowering his right arm into the pool, the golden chakra flowed onto his arm, swirling around making the pattern of a dragon in flight on the boy's skin. All the golden chakra was drained from the pool onto the boy, glowing brightly as it remained on his arm. Then, it faded, leaving a tattoo of the dragon pattern from before. The boy rose, and a servant led him to a room beneath the stairs before any of us kids could congratulate him. One by one, the children began the same process, and it seemed that each child took after their parents. There was an obvious preferred choice of dragon though, that of course being the Blue of the Kusarigama. Why? Because instead of one large dragon, two smaller twin dragons instead erupted, and the tattoos entered onto both arms.

After everyone else had gone, it was my turn. Perks of being a latecomer I guess. Before I entered the pool, one parent cried out a complaint. "Why do we need to watch this? We all know the boy will get the katana like his mother! Let us just go home already!"

"He won't get the katana!" Cried anther parent. "He'll get the kusarigama, like his father and Uncle. Even still, we know the outcome, let us leave!"

"ENOUGH!" Shouted Yagasutchi, silencing the two of them. "I will not tolerate any more outbursts. While yes, it is most likely he will receive the katana, like his mother Sansa, he deserves the same right as all of your children, and we will honor that right here and now."

The first complainer, having just had his pride hurt, made another stupid decision. "But he isn't like my child, he was trained by his father, as a Shimada should be."

Yagasutchi was furious. "Taiyang, myself, the other elders, and dear Sansa over there will have a meeting with you immediately following the ceremony. Now, Kai, please claim your birthright before your mother taints the sacred pool with blood."

He was right, mother was furious. Nodding quickly, I stepped into the pool. It was an odd sensation, warm and inviting, yet powerful and scary. Pushing the feeling out of my mind, I kneeled in front of the platform, raising a Tiger hand seal, and said the five words that would change my life from here on out. "Shimada Technique: Spirit Dragon Awakening!"

I waited, counting the seconds as they went by. At 45, I was sure I had messed up, and was prepared to try again, but something in me held me back, keeping my pose. Taiyang started to say something, when the sound of a dragon burst from the platform. Swirling near the rafters was a large Violet Dragon, roaring in the sky. A thunderstorm had been brewing, and lightning burst through the ceiling, striking the dragon. At first, I was worried something was wrong, but my fears were crushed when the Spirit began roaring and shooting bolts of electricity from its mouth. It dove, and lightning struck the pool as it melded with the water. I closed my eyes in fear of being electrocuted, but opened them when I only felt a slight tingling sensation. Realizing what needed to happen next, I placed my right hand into the water, and the purple chakra began swirling around my arm, crackling with electricity. It left light shocks around my arm and down my back, before finally the chakra was drained and I was left with my tattoos I would carry for life. I looked up, only to find that something was different. Everything seemed almost slower, and I felt as though I could process things much faster. When my eyes gazed upon the elders, I saw Yagasutchi smiling, and the rest of the Elders in shock. I quickly glanced at the crowd, and I saw similar confusion and awe. A servant approached and helped me rise, leading me to the door under the stairway.

Once inside, I saw that it was a hallway, not a room. The servant led me to the end of the hall, to the last open room, merely consisting of a small bed, a mirror, and a rack for my gi. The servant bowed and took their leave. I vaguely remember mother saying something about needing to sleep to first meet your partner, and understood what must be done. I took off my gi, and decided to take a look at my new tattoos in the mirror. The first thing I noticed were my eyes. They were now a deep purple. Then I began to examine my tattoos. The tattoo was of a dragon swirling around my arm, its head roaring on my shoulder. I yawned, and then realized just how tired I was. I went to the bed, but not before noting that the tattoos went down my back as well. Laying down, I began to sleep.

* * *

I was standing in the clouds, with a storm brewing around me. When the first rod of lightning flashed, I was greeted with the sight of the same purple dragon as the ceremony, only now it wasn't made of chakra, and had white tufts of hair on its mighty face. A deep, bold voice echoed in my ears. "I have seen great potential in you, young one. I myself had to fight the other Elder Dragons to claim you as my host."

"I am honored, mighty dragon." I said, in awe. "Though, I do need to ask, what do you mean by Elder Dragons?"

"The Elders are the true sons of the first dragon, who you call the Red Dragon." It said. "From us, the rest of the dragons were formed."

"What should I call you, Elder Dragon?"

"I am known by many names, the Harbinger of Death, the Stormbringer, and Destroyer of Villages." It said pridefully. "But you, may call me Murasa."

* * *

 **So ends this chapter. Now that we have been introduced to the Shimada kekkei genkai, I can explain it a bit further.**

 **The color of the dragon they receive changes the color of their eyes. Whatever color they get, they train with the corresponding weapon, as their ancestors did. Now we get to the actual abilities. The Shimada utilize this bond with Spirit Dragons to use what I have named Dragon Release. With it, they can summon dragons of pure chakra to either attack their foes, bolster attacks and defense, or even just to run messages. This being said, each Dragon Release ability taxes their chakra heavily, as Chakra spirits are made entirely out of their own chakra. They help this flaw by converging the Shimada's and the Dragon's chakra stores, increasing them drastically. Thanks to that they are able to do some cool things that will be showcased later on.**

 **Long Chapter, I know, but I was worried about needing to break it into two chapters and I wanted to go ahead and get to the action. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed, leave a review letting me know what you think, and I'll see you next week.**

 **P.S. Shit gets REAL next chapter :P**


	7. Chapter 7

When Worlds Collide

Chapter 7: Brotherly Bond

 **Welcome back! Now, I know I said this before, but this time I** _ **promise**_ **, this is the penultimate chapter of the Shimada Arc. And don't expect the same ole bland exposition type of chapters, now is when things start to pick up. Also, if there are italics without accompanying "I thought" or anything like that, it is Murasa speaking telepathically to Kai. Enjoy the chapter!**

(Line Break)

Apparently my newfound purple friend resides in my right arm's chakra stream now. How do I know this? Well, pretty much any chakra I channel into good ole righty has a purple hue. Also, my mentor, a female naginata user by the name of Saiya, told me that any jutsus I use through that arm will also be purple. Cool. I also officially turned seven. My birthday was three days after the ceremony, and my lessons with Saiya and a training naginata were my presents. Best birthday gift for a up-and-coming-Shinobi.

So, now on to the current matter. I had wanted to schedule a meeting with Lord Yagasutchi the day after meeting Murasa, but the only slot he had open was three weeks after the Dragon Bonding. So, I worked with Saiya on the basics of Naginata use, and prepared for Academy entrance with Uncle some. Well, now the day was here, and I'm standing in Yagasutchi's office. If I had to describe it, I'd say it looked like any lawyer's office. There was a thick mahogany by the back wall, with two matching chairs with red upholstery in front of the desk. The rest of the walls were absolutely covered in shelves. Each shelve was filled with books and scrolls, and some with pictures of past Elders and Yagasutchi's family members. Speaking of the Clan Head, there he was, seated behind the desk.

"Hello, Kai," Yagasutchi greeted, a warm smile on his face. No matter the smile, there was worry in his golden eyes. "What is the purpose of the meeting today?"

"Well," I started, breathing in. This was gonna be tough on him, I know. He was pretty close to father, so he always had a bit of a special care for me, like you would a nephew or close cousin. "I wanted to talk about my second rite…"

"I feared that was the case…" He said, expression darkening. "What is your concern?"

"Well, to put it bluntly, some of the adults here have been treating me as some disgrace. They won't even look at me. And the shock on some of the Elders faces when I was bonded with a violet dragon, and that's a whole other topic I want to talk about after you explain the shock."

"Well, the shock is because we haven't seen anything like that in a long time. We were all expecting my son to be bonded with an Elder Dragon, he was wiser beyond even some of the Elder's years, and very skilled. But you came out of nowhere." He said, almost as if he had rehearsed this. "We all knew you were skilled, and pretty smart, but no one expected the Stormbringer to emerge. The last time he claimed a host was to the wielder of the very naginata he resided in. So, I believe the neglect you are receiving is envy. The parents want your bond-spirit, or they want him for their son."

"That makes sense. So, what does me being bonded to an Elder entail?" I asked.

"You will get a larger chakra reserve, have stronger Dragon Release abilities, and stronger abilities related to the dragon's element, in this case lightning." Yagasutchi explained, the worry starting to fade. "I'm glad it has just been neglect, there has been some cases of… other methods of showing envy in the past. But if anything like that happens, you come to me immediately, understood?"

"Yes, Uncle." I said, placing extra emphasis on the second word.

"I am not your Uncle, child." He said, amused. "You should know this."

"Yes, but you treat me as a nephew, so that's what you are to me now. My gold eyed uncle." I said, grinning. The guy could use the happiness, he had a tough job. And it's true anyway. He is like an uncle to me.

"Well I am honored, _nephew_." He said, smiling. "Now, I have work to do, and I believe you need to get ready for the Academy tomorrow."

"That I do. Take care!" I said, running out of the door.

(Line Break)

Lucky for me, the walk to the Academy was not long. About five minutes. Much better than the Uchiha and Hyuga, who had to walk half of the village. Today was the first day, and I was excited. I was most likely gonna get to be a part of Naruto's class, as I was about the same age as him, but there was a chance I'd be bumped up to Neji and Lee's year. Either way, I was excited.

There was an opening speech made by the principal, welcoming us to the Academy. Through the large crowd I spotted a shy looking Hyuga girl, a boy with a dog on his head, and a certain raven-haired individual with a duck butt for hair. Looks like its gonna be Naruto's class. Yessssssss.

Eventually, we broke off to go to our classes. That's when I saw the first deviation from the original timeline. Standing there, in our class, was none other than Tenten. She's supposed to be the next year up! Maybe her parents decided to wait on a kid or something. Either way, that's fine with me. I wonder who will take her place on Team Guy?

We were given assigned seating by the Instructor, a Chunin by the name of Maran. He had shaggy brown hair and a scar on his chin. Guess Iruka won't be our teacher until later, I hope at least. We were given assigned seating, and one by one, kids left the front of the classroom and went to a desk. There I was, wondering who I would be sat next to, when suddenly…

"Kai Shimada, seat 12, next to the Uchiha." Maran said, his voice firm. There's my answer I guess.

When I sat own next to Sasuke, he looked over at me with a smile. "I like your ponytail. My name's Sasuke, and yours is Kai?"

"That's what Maran said, isn't it?"

"Well, yea," he said, looking down. Aww, I hurt the guy's feelings. "I was just making sure I heard right."

"Well, you did hear correctly." I said, backing off on the sarcasm. "Lighten up! I was only messing with you. Thought I'd start our friendship off with a joke. I guess I came off a little harsh…"

"Just a bit." He said, the same smile returning. "I'm glad you think we'll be friends!"

"Me too," I said, smiling. I am definitely not laughing like an evil maniac in my head at what I'm about to say. "You seem like a good friend to have." If you only knew, you poor, poor, uninformed child.

"Thank you!" He said, beaming.

(Line Break)

Academy training was about as tough as Uncle had trained me. We ran, practiced taijutsu, learned math and history, and practiced with shuriken and kunai. Turns out Sasuke is actually really talented. He had me beat for history grades, tied me in math, and wasn't far behind me for the taijutsu. Then there was the kunai and shuriken. Turns out, I suck with shuriken, but I set the Academy record for kunai throwing. Interesting. Sasuke absolutely demolished me with shuriken, thanks to "Big brother" giving him some tips. We were top two in most of the subjects, with the exception of math, which went to Shikamaru. I also got to see just how good at throwing weapons Tenten was. She also beat Sasuke with kunai, and was not far behind him in shuriken. I'm fairly certain if I hadn't set a new record she'd be in second and Sasuke in first, cause she was good. At the end of the test day, a day where our throwing rankings were tested, Tenten's competitive side showed its face. When Sasuke and I beat her, she vowed that she would get the better of us at range one day. If she turns out like she does later on, that will be true.

Speaking of throwing, there we were, practicing against the logs as the sun set. We each had to hit 15 in the center of the target with both kunai and shuriken as fast as we could, to prepare for the next test day. We were allowed to leave when everyone completed this, and it was about to become night when Naruto finally hit his last shuriken. We were dismissed for the day, and after the usual goodbyes we went home for the weekend.

As I made my way back to the compound, I realized I had forgotten to give Sasuke his notebook back. He had asked me to write down class shuriken records when I finished so he could show Itachi how good he was doing. I quickly turned around and walked towards the Uchiha compound. As I approached the outside of the compound, I dropped all my books, reached into my bag and grabbed my wakizashi. "Oh no, nonononono, not tonight, not yet, how could I forget!" Against the wall of the first building was a bloody kunai, and the usual dimly lit compound was dark. There was a faint ring of steel, and I knew my target location. I took off in a sprint.

I don't know why I charged in there, but I'm glad I did, because the sight that greeted me was one I would never forget. An Uchiha clad in black, tanto drawn, had his back to me. His arm flashed forward, and there was another ring of steel as shuriken hit the ground. I charged, wakizashi drawn, and slashed at the Uchiha. He turned around, hearing my approach, and blocked my attack with his tanto. Once we clashed I threw my momentum to the left to get in between him and Sasuke, and landing in a crouch I witnessed something I had not accounted for.

Staring at me in shock, beaten and bloody, protectively in front of Sasuke, was Itachi Uchiha. But if he was there, then…

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Shouted the one I would never expect, Shisui Uchiha. I leapt away, and went in for another attack. Before I even got there, Shisui delivered a quick kick to my gut, knocking me back onto the ground a few feet away. I wheezed, the breath knocked out of me.

"What have you done, Shisui?!" Itachi shouted as he launched a volley of shuriken. "What has Danzo done to you? Why would you betray our clan, our village?"

"This is _for_ the village!" Shisui spat, rolling to dodge the projectiles. "Danzo opened my eyes to the threat that is the Uchiha. Even if I did stop the coup this time, there will be a next time. This clan will never remain peaceful! Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Itachi matched the fireball, clashing with it, but losing. His chakra reserves were running low, and he didn't have enough to keep this up. Rolling to the left, he and Sasuke dodged the flames before they could reach them.

Shisui seemingly expected this, as he used the Body Flicker to warp in front of Itachi, slashing his chest with a kunai. Sasuke screamed, and I knew I had one chance at helping, and it was now. I needed to distract Shisui, and I prayed that Itachi had enough left to capitalize.

 _I am ready, child. Release my power and vanquish this foe_.

I gathered my chakra into my right arm, activating the dragon's own chakra, as a violet spirit began forming from my tattoos. I've only used this once, but let's hope this works. "Dragon Release: Weapon Possession!"

Murasa roared, lightning crackling from his mouth, coating my sword. He took flight from my arm in the form of a long chakra dragon, swirling around my torso as I dropped into a crouch, holding my blade horizontally out in front of my chest, sharp side of the wakizashi facing Shisui. Murasa let out another roar as he matched my sword's movement, glaring down Shisui, revealing this form's size. He was at least seven feet long, and his head was slightly larger than that of an average human. He had crackling electricity in the place of his usual white fur. I charged forward, taking the older Uchiha by surprise as my strikes now had a lot more weight to them, thanks to the Spirit Dragon now following my blade's movements, striking him with each spinning and sweeping slash. Shisui went on the defensive, blocking each of my attacks. He blocked my upward diagonal slash, and turned to face me as I flipped over him. I led with a fake upward cut, and spun into a horizontal aimed at his ribcage. They don't say he's fast just for shits and giggles, because he easily dodged it, and launched another kick at my chest. I was prepared this time, and took the blow on my crossed forearms, making a cushion as I was pushed back. The kick broke the jutsu, the purple chakra dissipating into the air as Murasa let out one final roar. Shisui went back on the offensive, delivering a hard uppercut into my stomach, sprawling me onto the ground.

This was all the distraction I needed to give, as a tanto blade burst through Shisui's chest, spilling blood onto the ground. He fell forward, revealing the heavily bleeding Itachi holding the blade. Itachi's Sharingan began to change shape, becoming the pinwheel that marked his Mangekyo upgrade. He gasped, clutching his chest wound, and doubled over. Sasuke was at his brother's side immediately, still pale from seeing his brother's best friend attempt to murder me and Itachi.

"You, child," Itachi coughed, blood sputtering from his lips. "Thank you for your help. I hate to ask more of you, but can you help get me to the hospital?"

"Absolutely!" I claimed. "You'll never make it to the hospital in time though, it's too far away. You should come back to the Shimada compound with me, it's on the way and there are medical Shinobi staffed there."

"Thank you very much." Itachi said, wheezing.

So there we were, a young Uchiha and a boy with violet eyes, rushing a heavily bleeding Anbu Chief through the empty streets. "Cmon Sasuke, we're almost there, the compound is just…up… ahead…" I slowed to a halt, not believing what I saw before me.

The Shimada Compound was burning.

(Line Break)

 **Dun dun duuuuuunnnnn. Cliffhanger time. So ends chapter 7, and my first attempt at a fight scene. Let me know what you think, and I will see you next week, when we find out what is going on here.**

 **P.S. I'm gonna start leaving clues to other changes in canon. They won't be directly addressed in the next chapter, but any time later in the story. Each clue will be at the end of the chapter marked by the abbreviation A.C. (For Author's Clue). I'll start out with a simple one, something that will be addressed fairly soon, to see what you guys think. Let me know if you want these to continue.**

 **A.C. Out of the whole spectrum, pink is the oddly misplaced one.**


	8. Chapter 8

When Worlds Collide

Chapter 8: Battle of Kin

 **This chapter, oh man this chapter. Took me a lot of scrapped ideas, and three different occasions of losing the file. I felt like part of me died the third time, because I had around 8,000 words and it corrupted. Goddamn that sucked. Anyways, longer chapter this time, and we finally wrap up the Shimada Arc and can move on to a quick little montage of moments at the Academy. IMPORTANT! READ THE BOTTOM AUTHOR'S NOTE! IT HAS INFORMATION THAT AFFECTS THE STORY! Now that's out of the way, enjoy my fourth attempt at this chapter.**

* * *

Immediately, I motioned for Sasuke to help lay Itachi down. Once we got him settled, I begun questioning the injured Uchiha. "Itachi, is there any way you or Sasuke can signal for Anbu reinforcements?"

"There is, but why do you think we need them? This could be a simple house fire gone wro," Itachi was interrupted by a scream and the roar of a dragon. "Okay, yes, there is. If you go down the streets yelling 'Code Blaze at Dragon' some Anbu should check it out. If they find cause for backup, they'll radio it in. You'll be approached by an Anbu and questioned how you know that code, though."

"Ok. Sasuke, I need you to go down the streets yelling that. When the Anbu approaches you, tell them Itachi Uchiha is injured and in need of immediate attention." I glanced back to the burning compound. "Actually, tell him to bring every Medic-nin he can."

"You aren't coming too?" Sasuke asked, scared.

"No, my clan needs help ASAP, and I'm gonna do what I can to provide that help." I said, determined. "Now go, before we lose your brother."

Nodding quickly, Sasuke sprinted off, immediately screaming the Anbu code at the top of his lungs. I let out a sigh, and started to go into the compound. At least, I would, if it weren't for Itachi grabbing my wrist. "Wait," He commanded. "How does an Academy student know about the Anbu? How did you know I was one of them? How did you know to come to the Uchiha compound weapon drawn? How,"

"Save your breath," I interrupted. "I can answer any questions you have when this is over. As for your first two questions, my uncle told me about them, and you're wearing their uniform right now."

Glancing down, he saw my words were true. Sighing, he let go of my wrist. I immediately charged into the flames. Once inside, it was clear, if it wasn't already, this was an attack. Buildings were on fire, and partly destroyed. Remains of Earth Style Jutsu were strewn around the streets and yards. Whoever attacked must either be a god, or had an army. I began to slow down when I found bodies. They were everywhere. In buildings, on the street, hell, even in the _trees_. One thing was clear, they were dead. Body parts were missing from a lot of them, and some had their guts spilled. Swallowing back vomit, I continued running, until I saw a body moving.

Running over to the person, I found that it was Saiya. Helping her to a wall so she can sit against it, she smiled when she saw me. "Kai," She said, her voice faint. "I'm glad you're alive. But you need to get out of here. These Shinobi, they'll kill you."

"It's ok, I sent for help. The Anbu will be here at any moment." I said, soothingly. Her expression lightened, seemingly happy that I was bringing the cavalry. "Who did this, sensei?"

"It was Danzo Shimura and his damn ROOT. But they weren't alone. They brought some hard hitters from the Sound Village." She said, angered. Sound Nin? That means, no, Orochimaru!? Shiiiiiiiiitttttt. "They had the Snake with them, and he managed to get Yagusutchi's kid on his side. He wanted Taibe's Elder Spirit, and the kid wanted to kill his dad for some reason. They went to the main Temple to find him."

"Then that's where I'm headed," I said, about to charge off, before she stopped me.

"No, you must leave this to the Anbu, and hope Yagasutchi can hold off until then." She said, worried. "Now, I hate to ask you this, child, but you must perform a Shimada's last right. All of the dead here have their spirits within me. You must release us."

"O-Okay…" I said, choking back tears. I liked Saiya, dammit. The Snake will pay for this. "As the dragon flies, so shall your spirit, free in the skies. Shimada Technique: Spirit Freedom!"

"Thank… you…" She said, her purple eyes returning to grey as she passed. Small chakra dragons poured from her tattoos, flying up in to the night sky and dissipating. Quelling my emotions for now, I stood up, getting more and more determined to bring an end to this madness.

Now with a target for my rage, I began running towards the Main Temple, where my journey with dragons started.

* * *

After roaming through the carnage, I came to the conclusion that ROOT had left. I only saw a couple Sound Nin, who I promptly executed after surprising them. I guess they didn't expect someone to come to the aid of the Clan. I ran through the halls of the temple, aiming to reach the main room. I didn't want to take the front entrance, as that was the most guarded. I took the back door, which lead into the hall of rooms I stayed in after the Sealing Ceremony. When I made it to the door under the stairs, I paused, listening for voices. I faintly heard Orochimaru talking with Kabuto.

"-ura and ROOT have pulled out." Kabuto said. Looks like I was right. "He says the work is finished, and that there is no need to be here. The Anbu will arrive soon, and I suggest we leave as well. We could take them, but not without cost."

"I agree. Grab the weapons and head out, we need to get going. Taibe, excellent work with your father. As a reward, take the Sais." Orochimaru said.

If there was a chance at taking them by surprise, now was the time. Silently opening the door, I made my move. I went for the bastard snake's unprotected jaw. As my wakizashi was about to hit, a surprised Kabuto blocked it with a kunai. He immediately lifted me by my wrist, keeping me from escaping, no matter how hard I struggled.

"Well now, it appears we missed one." Kabuto said. "Permission to kill him like the rest, my lord?"

"No," spoke an unfamiliar voice. We all looked towards the source, only to see Taibe angrily holding the Ancient Sais from the ceremony. "This is the one father was always talking about. I want to kill him myself."

"Well, who am I to refuse a request like that? Drop him Kabuto." The Snake said, licking his lips. Kabuto did as he commanded, unceremoniously tossing me to my butt, the prick. "Ready your weapon, young one, this will be a fight like no other."

Immediately, Taibe rushed forward, looking ready to kill. I flipped over his attack, only to immediately need to block another slash from his sais. I don't know how much longer I could keep this up with only a wakizashi. Especially considering I was low on chakra from the fight with Shisui, and tired from running around the compound and village.

 _Child, the Naginata. My former home. Go to it, wield it. That is the only way we shall defeat this opponent._

That's it! Thank you, Spirit Dragon! I launched a kick at Taibe's stomach, catching him off guard. He stumbled back, giving me time to jump and put some distance between us. "Wait," I called, aimed mostly at Orochimaru. I knew how much the bastard had a flair for dramatics, so I needed to appeal to that. "What kind of dual is this? He's upset that my prowess blinded his father's attention to his own abilities. So why is it that I am only given a simple blade, while he has an ancient, spiritual weapon?"

"Taibe, hold." Orochimaru commanded. It was working! "The child has a point. Child, go and pick one of your clan's weapons." He began laughing. "As one of the last two Shimada, at least one of them would be your inheritance!"

That bastard snake, I ought to just surprise rush him and slit that stupid throat of his. Thoughts for later. Refocusing my rage, I went to the scroll that contained the Naginata. Pumping a little bit of chakra into the seal, a cloud of smoke appeared. There, where the seal used to be, was the ancient blade. It was a long oak staff, with a gold-plated metal dragon swirling around the wood. This all led to a simple, shiny metal blade, thick with a slight curve. Engraved in the metal were the words _Thunder Spirit_. There was one issue though.

 _Murasa,_ I thought. _How in the hell am I supposed to wield this thing!? It's longer than I am tall! The thing has got to be six and a half feet long!_

 _Trust me, child. You will use it just fine. I will guide you._

Fuck it, no other choice. I picked up the weapon and immediately felt a surge of chakra run through my body. My tattoos glowed briefly, and I realized that the chakra flowing through me was more Dragon Spirits combining with my Chakra pool. No wonder Taibe was so fast, he must be pumping chakra through his muscles. I stood up, planting the blunt end of the spear into the ground, holding it in my right hand. I had to look comical, but I felt like a badass.

"Well now, it appears the fight is even." Kabuto spoke. "Resume fighting."

Taibe didn't need to be told twice. He rushed across the room towards me, sais ready to stab. It was then that I noticed something. His tattoos glowed whenever he made an attack.

 _That is his dragon, my brother, guiding him. Allow me the same control, and we may yet win this battle._

Listening to the dragon, I relinquished control. My tattoos began to glow, and time seemed slower. Before Taibe could reach me, my body moved on its own, swinging the naginata to trap both blades. Taibe swung under the staff, kicking me in the gut. He dropped on his back, rolling me over him, where I landed flat on my back. My body stood up, holding the naginata in a ready position, with the blade diagonal towards the ground and the staff traveling behind my back, pointed upwards by my shoulder. Taibe rushed again, and using the spear my body swatted him to the side, resuming the same pose, this time facing where my opponent went.

 _Hmph, the two are working together. But it seems in Taibe's rage he has taken the most control. My brother would never fight so aggressively. If you and I work in tandem, we will defeat them._

 _How do I do that?_ I questioned. _Murasa, you told me to give you control._

 _Simple, when you see an opening, grab control and attack. If you feel me grabbing control, let go. Wait for another opening, I shall do the same._

Easy enough. This time Murasa rushed first, attacking with a diagonal slash. Taibe deflected it, planting the blade in the ground. Grabbing control from Murasa, I grasped the pole with both hands, using it to spin myself, launching a sweeping kick to Taibe's midsection. He attempted to block it, but was unable. My kick sent him sprawling backwards. He rolled back to his feet, and jumped away. I stood ready to face him. Rather than attack again, he bagan flashing hand signs. I felt Murasa grab control, and he began doing the same hand signs, after placing the blade into the ground.

"Shimada Technique:" I heard my voice say, in tandem with Taibe's. "Elder Dragon Summoning!"

Both Murasa and Taibe slammed their palms into the ground. Immediately, chakra spread from their hands, purple from Murasa and gold from Taibe. As the chakra spread out into a circle, I felt myself gain control. I then noticed more of what was going on. The chakra that had been infused with mine was draining fast. I couldn't sense Murasa anymore. Worried, I looked at the circle. A large seal was forming inside the circle, and the stream of chakra came from me and Taibe's hands, as well as from the weapons we placed on the ground. When the seal completed, there was a pause.

Suddenly, dragons erupted from both seals. Murasa's true from was revealed, no longer the chakra spirit I was used to, but instead the dragon I saw in my dream. Taibe's gold dragon was the same. They flew upwards, bursting through the ceiling of the temple. Each had to be 15 stories tall, as the temple itself was ten stories. They both roared, Murasa creating storm clouds and the gold dragon breathing fire. They then began swirling around one another.

"Murasa," the gold dragon spoke, his voice deep and gruff. "It has been too long my brother. Why don't you join us, instead of fighting us? It is much better this happens now instead of later, when you are bonded to Taibe's will."

"Ayami, you know me better than any of our brothers." Murasa said. "You, more than anyone, should know that I would never willingly give up my own free will. You are stupid to even ask."

"SO BE IT!" Ayami roared. He went for Murasa's neck, attempting to bite down on it. Seeing this, Murasa roared out lighting, shocking Ayami. The dragons separated, and began flying around, launching fire in Ayami's case and lightning in Murasa's.

I glanced around the room, seeing Orochimaru and Kabuto entranced by the battle of dragons in the sky. I then noticed Taibe drawing his wakizashi, looking ready to pounce on me. I drew mine, and on an unspoken countdown, we launched at each other. We clashed on a diagonal pounce, and I spun with my momentum, hoping to stab Taibe. He saw this and deflected it. Seeing an opening, he went for a stab of his own, only to hit air as I flipped over his back. We turned at the same time, staring each other in the eyes, his golden ones piercing my violet. In the brief period, I ran down what I knew about him in this fight.

He was strong, likely stronger than me, but I had the advantage in speed. His reaction time was good, but nowhere near as good as Shisui, and I almost caught him with my horizontal slash. Neither of us knew any jutsu outside of the Dragon Release abilities our dragons taught us, but those weren't viable considering they were currently in the sky. We both used the Dragon Fang Style, but he was slower with his countermovements, almost foregoing the dodges for blocks and parries. It was clear he had fought more than I had, as he was more out of breath than me. All I had to do was slip past his defense, and I would win. He wore the same black cloth outfit I did, only with his shoulders opened to the world, and gold trim around the edges. If he wore the same type of cloth I did, he practically had zero armor, so any cut might as well be against open skin.

We both clashed again, this time with my horizontal and his vertical slash. I flipped backwards, foreseeing his next stab. Sure enough, Taibe had stabbed where I had been. Smirking, I rushed forward with a upwards slice, only to be blocked by his horizontal blade. This was what I wanted! I immediately slid under him, taking out his legs. As I slid and Taibe fell, I scored a slice across the right side of his stomach traveling down to his left hip. He hit the ground, clutching the now bleeding wound. I stood over him, about to launch a killing blow, when I heard a cry of pain above me.

Glancing up, I saw a long slash across Ayami's body, eerily similar and proportionate to the cut I gave Taibe. Ayami looked down, and screamed "NO!" He dove down towards us, and the seal that had been on the ground before erupted from Taibe's chest. I immediately leapt back to safety, as to not be crushed by the giant dragon. When Ayami reached the seal, he immediately absorbed into it, filtering into Taibe's tattoos. Golden Chakra began surrounding the wound, keeping it stable.

Murasa called down to me. "Child! Prepare yourself!" I looked up at him, seeing him charge downward. Raising my tattooed arm, blade still in hand, I saw the seal burst from me. Murasa hit the seal and transformed to the size of my tatoos. He followed them perfectly, swirling down my arm before connecting with my shoulder. He absorbed into my body, and I felt his chakra reconnect with mine. I went to go for another killing blow on Taibe, who was still laying where I left him. As I was about to reach him, I was drop kicked by Kabuto. I looked up to see him knelt over Taibe.

"Kabuto," Orochimaru hurried him, sounding anxious. "The Anbu will be here any second! Grab the boy and whatever weapons you can and let's go!"

Kabuto nodded, scooping the limp Taibe into his arms. He grabbed the Sais off the ground, and walked over to me. "Good fight kid," He said to me, "but your story ends here." He kicked me in the back of the head. I was dazed, and my vison faded in and out of darkness. I saw Kabuto walk over to Orochimaru. There was black for a couple seconds, then I saw three Anbu in front of a cloud of smoke. Black again, before I heard voices and saw an Anbu in a dog mask on one knee, peering down at me.

"He's alive," He spoke, his voice eerily familiar. "one survivor, I repeat, one survivor. He appears to be suffering from severe head trauma and chakra exhaustion. Medical examination required." He lifted me onto his shoulder, carrying me out of the now burning temple. When did that happen? Another bout of black, and then I saw a ceiling, with doctors looking down at me.

"You're gonna be fine," one said. "you are at Konoha Central Hospital. We are going to take care of you." His face was the last thing I saw before I faded back to black one last time.

* * *

I awoke in a familiar white room. I smiled when I realized I was back in the room I first set out on this journey in, but the smile faded as I realized what that meant. It was then that my Guardian Angel walked in. Sophie smiled, her ocean blue eyes warm as she looked down at me. I sat up from the bed and looked at her grimly.

"I just died, didn't I?" I said, my voice low.

"No, Michael." She said, her voice filled with disappointment. "You are still alive. You are in a hospital room adjacent to Itachi's. And he's alive and expected to make a full recovery. But still, seven years and I don't even get a 'Hey Sophie, long time no see' or 'Sophie! So good to see you again!'"

"Sorry." I said sheepishly. "But I'd imagine you saw what just happened. I'm not in the best of moods."

"I understand." She said, her smile returning, eyes giving a knowing look. "But a girl likes to be greeted with happiness, not bitterness."

"Got it, next time I see you, greet you with a smile, then go back to brooding." I joked. She laughed, sounding as melodic and lovely as one can imagine. If she wasn't years older, and, well, a literal _angel_ , I'd totally try and flirt with her. "Speaking of seeing you, why am I here?"

"I figured since you're going to be unconscious for the next couple of days, now would be the best time to have a routine meetup."

"A few _days_!? How hard did Kabuto kick me!?"

"Very hard." Sophie said, her lips holding back a smile. STOP BEING SO CUTE DAMMIT! "With the chakra exhaustion, combined with the concussion you received, they were surprised you were even remotely conscious."

"Well damn."

"Damn indeed." Sophie agreed. "Kabuto is Jonin level for a reason. Enough talk about the injury. I want to hear about your thoughts on your life so far."

"Well," I started, "I just want to apologize for the murdering I've done. It probably didn't make you guys very happy."

"Don't worry about it." Sophie said, shrugging it off. "You're a soldier. A young one, but a soldier nonetheless. All actions you performed were in the name of your mission. Whether by order of the clan, or in service to the clan. If you were to go out and murder some civilians or even someone else randomly, then there would be repercussions."

"Good." I sighed. "I was worried that would be an issue. Anyway, I'm already dealing with the Lottery situation. Shisui changing his mind, and the new clan stuff happening. Which reminds me. You are very uncreative for making the Shimada."

"You think I made the decision?" She laughed. "I don't do anything but watch. It is rather similar, but it is different than Overwatch. Hence the lack of a bow. It was by pure chance the clan got a similar appearance."

"Fair enough." I said. "Well, is there anything else you wish to tell me? Or can I wake up and comfort Sasuke now?"

"Two things. One, Itachi is the one you should be more concerned with, not Sasuke. He saw the dragons erupt and has some questions. Two, I can read your emotions you know, and I am very flattered. But if you are that desperate for female attention, you should really consider trying to date one of the Leaf Village girls. There's already a good chance they won't end up with who they did in the main timeline. Might as well go for one."

"That sounds like a good idea." I said, blushing. "But there are enough that I all like equally that I may need some outside help picking." I began coughing and winking heavily, but not just towards Sophie.

"Don't look at me." Sophie giggled. I know you can feel this, but that is TOO CUTE. Yea, I see you blushing lightly. "I'm not allowed to help you with anything like that. I can only offer personal advice, and that advice is to avoid Sakura like the _plague_. She is obsessive, and that is not ok."

"Thanks for the advice I guess. If that is over, can you advise me on how to get back?"

"You just need to lay down and sleep on the bed. But before that…" She stood up, walked over to me, and gave me a hug. It was warm, and she held me fairy tightly. I hugged back, slightly stunned by the open display of affection. She smelled like a bed of roses, and was as soft as a feather pillow. I began blushing lightly, even more so when I recognized the two mounds pressing into my chest. She began speaking into my ear, her voice soft. "It's good to see you again, Michael."

"Good to see you too Sophie." I said as she broke the hug, doing my best to purge the desire for her to come back.

"Sleep now, you have someone waiting to have a conversation." Sophie said as she walked back through the door. I couldn't help but notice the way her hips swayed as she walked. Damn, no, she has to be years older, this is wrong. Laying my head down on to the bed, I began drifting to sleep the second I closed my eyes.

* * *

 **This time, I mean it when I say, so ends the Shimada Arc. Next week will mark the beginning of the Family and then Academy Arc, where we learn a little bit more of what was happening here, and how things will shape up in the future because of it. Also, really long chapter, over 4,000 words. I could easily make 8,000 word chapters, but I feel they would start to drag on, not to mention that would take forever to write. If you like these longer chapters, let me know. If you want shorter ones, near the 1,000-1,500 word range, let me know as well.**

 **Now, something was brought up in this chapter that I do need your guys' help with. Pairings. Right now, we will focus on Kai, and as things go on, we will shift attention to the other members of the cast. THIS MAY OR MAY NOT AFFECT TEAMS, depending on the pairing. So, who should I pair with Kai?**

 **1) Tenten. They'd be a weaponmaster duo of destruction, with some tender moments.**

 **2) Ino. They'd be the purple power couple, with her calling Kai an idiot a lot.**

 **3) Hinata. She would constantly be mortified by his bluntness, but admire him for his bravery.**

 **4) Hana Inuzaka. I have a plan for her, which I can't spoil, but for right now know she is a year older than Kai. Their romance would be her constantly saving him from trouble and fawning over his Dragon Abilities, as well as some old married couple style banter.**

 **5) Sophie. I have a way of getting her into the world of Naruto, but know that it would be a secret relationship where no one can know who she actually is. Everyone would joke that she doesn't really exist, outside of a certain elder someone who caught a glimpse of her and is sworn to secrecy.**

 **6) His right hand. Kai would be a loner who sits in his room wishing he could date any of the fine chicks the Leaf village has to offer. He would occasionally go on adventures with Jiraiya to "research" for his books.**

 **Let me know which one you would like to see and why! I'm always open to feedback from the readers, whether that be positive or negative. I'm also open to possible changes to go in the Lottery. The Lottery is totally not putting ideas on notecards and drawing at random from a hat. That would be stupid. Pfft. This Lottery is more professional. This Lottery uses a salad bowl, not a hat. Enough being an idiot, I will see you guys next week!**


	9. Chapter 9

When Worlds Collide

Chapter 9: A New Family

 **So, a few announcements before the story. First, the upload times. Every upload will be on Wednesday, I just cannot guarantee the exact time or even a relative time. I'm working on a couple of other projects in conjunction with this one that sometimes take more time than I had planned for, i.e. the fiasco that was last chapter getting corrupted. Second, I will be attempting to respond to any ideas you guys leave me if I think they won't work. If they aren't explained away either in the story or in an Author Note, then congrats! Your idea is likely in the bowl that makes up The Lottery. Yes I was serious about that. Finally, I'm gonna go ahead and close the Kai pairing vote. The general sentiment is for either Tenten to be Kai's pair, or for Kai not to have one. As to what my decision is, I will leave it at the simple rule that is this: Everything is not always as it seems. Good luck figuring that one out.**

 **Story time!**

* * *

When I awoke, I wasn't in the hospital room I expected. Instead, I was in the stormy sky that Murasa lives in. With a flash of thunder, the dragon was revealed. "Well done child." He spoke. "That was a hard fought battle, and you emerged victorious. We need to work on your Naginata use, but that will come in time."

"Thank you Murasa. So, what exactly happened with that slash on Ayami?" I asked. "I was kind of caught off guard."

"That is simply a byproduct of the Elder Summoning. Our spirits are bonded, so any damage the other takes while physically is shared. You felt the bits of heat on your body, correct?"

"Yea, but they were so insignificant that I didn't even pay them attention. Is that how they felt to you?"

"Exactly," He said. "They were nothing more than an inconvenience. Just Ayami's way of keeping me away from him. His reason for it is unclear, though. He should have charged in and attacked, as is the purpose of the Summoning."

"His reason was Taibe wanted a battle purely between the two of us." I claimed. A good guess, at least. "I'm guessing Ayami didn't want to risk receiving any damage, so as to hinder Taibe in his battle."

"That makes sense." Murasa admitted. "Well, who was the lady in white you were speaking with?"

"W-What?" I stammered. "How did you know about that?"

"Our spirits are bonded," He said, with a deep, guttural chuckle. "Anywhere your spirit goes, mine follows. I was unable to hear your conversation, but I watched it through your eyes."

"O-ok. Um, well, she is, uh…"

"Someone you do not want to talk about, apparently." He said, amused. "Gather your words, we will talk again. I believe there is an Uchiha here to see you. Do not leave him waiting too long, you have been out for a few days."

"It is probably Sasuke." I said, relieved to have the conversation over with. How the hell am I supposed to explain Sophie to Murasa? "I should go, he just witnessed something very traumatic."

"That he has. We will speak again soon."

* * *

I awoke in the typical hospital room. I found myself laying on a white bed with an IV in my arm, slowly pumping fluids in my body. I looked to my left, to where the chair usually was, only to be met with the sight of a displeased Itachi Uchiha looking out of the window. When he noticed my awakening, he smiled, but his eyes betrayed his true feeling of distrust. "You're awake." He said. "How is your head?"

"Fine, thank you for asking." I said. "Where is Sasuke?"

"He is currently at the Academy."

"Oh no, I am going to have so much make up work!" I said, false panic in my voice. I wasn't worried at all, I usually knocked out the homework assignments in barely five minutes. The only thing I was missing was some of the Taijutsu training, but I was so far ahead of the others I wasn't worried.

"Do not be worried, you are only missing a single day." Itachi said, his voice in a tone that clearly showed he wasn't buying any of my crap. "Yesterday's lessons were cancelled due to the incident. Which brings me to now. You owe me some explanations."

"Yes, I do." I sighed. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, to start off, you seem very calm for a child that just woke up from a coma. You're acting calm for anyone who has woken up from a coma, rather. You have yet to ask what happened, or how long you were out. It appears that you already know this information, as you immediately jumped to having a lot of make up assignments to do."

Shit, he was right. Time for my improvising skills to come into play here. "Well, I am a Shimada, and I believe you are aware of what gives us the Dragon Release abilities, correct?" I asked. When he nodded, I continued. "While I was unconscious, my dragon was still awake. He informed me of what had happened as I awoke."

Itachi pondered my words for a moment. Seemingly accepting the answer, he continued questioning me. "You explained how you knew about my Anbu status, and how you knew what that meant already. What you haven't explained is how you were able to remain that calm as you, a child, watched your home burn to the ground, or how you were able to formulate a plan on what to do in that situation."

"Fair questions. Same answer though. The dragon inside of me told me what to do, and I listened." I heard Murasa chuckling in my head at that.

"That I do not accept. You were way to collected, and the Shimada I have known tell me that the dragons are fairly childish and reckless. That was not the plan of a Shimada Dragon. That was the plan of someone who genuinely wanted to save everyone in the situation." Itachi said, slowly getting angrier, his Sharingan activating. "You were able to simultaneously get me medical help, and get Sasuke out of harms way. That is not a reckless plan. That is one that covers all bases. Do not lie to me, or I will be forced to pry the truth out of you."

He was talking about the Tsukuyomi. He was going to torture me. Fuck, fuck, _fuck._ Might as well tell him the truth. If he doesn't believe it, I can always fall back on Murasa being an Elder Dragon. He won't know that there isn't much difference, would he? "Well, I'm not from this world. I was killed in a past life, and sent here. As of this time I am mentally the age of 24, so that is how I was so collected."

Itachi's eyes transformed into pinwheels, and the whole room was replaced with a negative filter, with black and red being the primary coloring. As soon as it happened it was gone. Itachi's eyes widened in shock, blood dripping from his right eye. "You… are not lying." He said slowly.

"Itachi, you cannot tell anyone of this. Not even the Hokage."

"Why not? You have knowledge of what happens, and how to stop it!" He said. His excitement turned to anger. "You could have stopped the massacre. You could have saved my family! Why didn't you?! Answer me!"

"What good would a seven year old Academy student have done if he told people that Danzo was planning to wipe out the Uchiha clan? I could have easily been dismissed as a kid with an overactive imagination, and you would have found me dead in the woods somewhere when Danzo heard of this."

"You could have told them what you told me! Have the Yamanaka clan read your memories!"

"I would still wind up dead. The council would need to vote on whether or not to allow this to happen, and I can guarantee Danzo would not have let that happen if he thought I was a danger to his plan." I explained. "Besides, I didn't even know if it was even going to happen. You saw the memories of my meeting with Sophie, right?" He nodded. "Then you know that everything has a good chance of being different from what I know. The massacre very easily could have never happened."

"Fine…" Itachi said, disappointed. "But from now on, if there is anything that you think I need to know or prepare for, you tell me. Are we clear?"

"Crystal."

"Good." Itachi let out a breath I didn't know he was holding. "We have a meeting with the Hokage in an hour. Get washed up. There's a shower in there," He said, gesturing to a door on the wall adjacent to the window. "with some clothes on the counter. The outfit you were wearing beforehand is also in there, but it is torn and dirty. I suggest you put on the clothing provided. I'll send Sasuke in soon, maybe in about 30 minutes."

"Ok." I said. Itachi made to move out the door, but I called out to him before he could exit. "Itachi, thank you. For not telling anybody."

"Consider it me paying a debt. You saved my life against Shisui, and you did it again at the compound." Itachi walked out of the room, no more words needing to be said.

* * *

"You're better!" Sasuke said. "I knew you would be ok. You were so cool, the way you saved big brother like that! Especially with that dragon thing following you, that was awesome!"

"Thanks, Sasuke." I said. We were in the courtyard outside of the Hokage's mansion. I was clothed in a plain purple shirt with black pants and the standard sandals. Sasuke was in his usual blue and white ensemble with Uchiha fan on the back. We were waiting on Itachi to arrive before we could go into the Hokage's office. The third wanted to meet with us so he could figure out living situations, how we would pay for meals, things like that. "It was nothing, really. I just bought Itachi a little bit of time is all."

"And I am very thankful." Said the man of the hour, Itachi. He was in his Anbu uniform's undersuit, leaving the vest and bracers off, as he wasn't currently on duty. "Now, let's not keep Lord Third waiting."

"Right." Sasuke and I said simultaneously. We went up the stairs into the building, walking down a few hallways before pausing at a set of double doors. Itachi knocked, and a gruff voice called for us to enter. We were met with the sight of Hiruzen behind his desk, smoking a pipe in his traditional Hokage garb. What I assumed to be his personal assistant was standing next to the desk, carefully eying us. As we approached the desk, The Third gave us a smile.

"Hello Itachi, Sasuke, and you must be Kai."

"That is correct, Lord Third." Itachi said respectfully.

"Good. I am sure you three are aware of the purpose for this meeting. Since I have a meeting with a Suna ambassador after this one, let us get right into business. I am terribly sorry about what happened to each of you, and from what Itachi and the Scouts, from the night of the incident, have told me we are deep in an investigation as to how this has happened." The Third said, an apologetic smile on his face. He gestured to me and Sasuke. "Normally, the two of you would get an apartment and an allowance to pay for meals and clothing. This would continue until you are able to make enough money from missions. But, we have an interesting case here."

"What do you mean, Lord Sarutobi?" I asked.

"Well, Itachi makes enough of a salary to support himself as well as Sasuke, with plenty of money left over. But what they do not have is a home. Kai on the other hand…" Hiruzen said, looking to me. "As part of your inheritance from your father and mother, a property in the village's outskirts with a prepaid caretaker has been left in your name. It is separate from the Shimada compound, and is actually only a short walk from the Academy."

"What are you hinting at, Lord?" I said, knowing exactly where he was taking this.

"What I would suggest is a deal. The property has more than enough space for the three of you, and the caretaker lives offsite. I am fairly certain that Sasuke and Itachi do not wish to stay in the site where one of the incidents occurred, and I doubt you want the meager allowance and an empty home." Hiruzen explained. "If the three of you agree on this, what can happen is yourself, Itachi, and Sasuke shall move into the property, where Itachi can provide for you and Sasuke until the two of you are able to provide for yourselves. This can be a permanent or a temporary solution, depending on you three's decision."

I looked at Itachi, my left eyebrow raised quizzically. He looked down to Sasuke, who simply nodded. Itachi sighed and looked back to me, reciprocating the nod Sasuke gave him. I nodded back, and paused for a moment, trying to choose my words carefully. "Lord Third, I believe your offer is a fair and wise one, but I cannot accept." I said. Sasuke's jaw dropped, Itachi looked taken aback, and the Hokage simply nodded. "I am not an Uchiha. I am not a part of these two's family, so I could not ask anything of them. They are welcome to the house. I will gift it to them. But allow me to have the apartment and allowance, I do not want to intrude on their dynamic." My words were true. I don't want to invade in their life, and after earlier I certainly do not want to ask anything of Itachi. If I try to piggyback off him he might flay me alive.

"You will not be an intrusion! As far as I am concerned, you are family now. Right brother?" Sasuke asked, looking up at Itachi innocently.

"I agree." Itachi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"But I couldn't ask anything of you. We are even on debts. I saved your life, you saved mine by giving us a way to call for backup."

"Boys!" The Hokage called, clearing his throat. "There is no need for this argument. Kai, I understand your feelings. They make complete sense. There is a solution, however. On the estate, there is a guest house. It has a bedroom, a small kitchen with a sink, refrigerator and microwave, a full bathroom, a living area and bedroom. I believe that is appealing to you, yes?"

"Yes, Hokage." I admitted. This way I would essentially be in my own house, and not be on top of Sasuke and the deadly Uchiha.

"Good. I will have the belongings we salvaged sent there. Sasuke, Itachi, all of your things will be transferred over to the house as well." Hiruzen said happily. "Itachi, you may oversee where furnishings can be placed in your bedroom. Sasuke, do you want a bedroom on the second floor with your brother, or the bottom floor?"

"Second floor, please." Said Sasuke.

"Alright. Itachi, you may also oversee furnishings of the living room and dining room. I'd suggest you head over there now. Sasuke, Kai, today is test day for throwing weapons, I suggest you go and maintain your lead. If you leave now, you will arrive in time for the testing period."

"Yes sir." We all three said. The Hokage's assistant handed us a paper with the address of the house on it, and we made our leave. Itachi waved goodbye and used the Body Flicker Technique to warp to the house, while me and Sasuke set of to the Academy determinedly. Spoiler Alert, we maintained our position, but Tenten was creeping up on us.

* * *

"This is it." I said, looking at the house before us. It was of a standard build for Konoha, a square building with a flat roof, only on a larger scale. The house sat at two stories tall, with a wooden exterior painted white. The front door was in the center of the outside wall, with windows peeking into rooms of the house on either side, curtains covering the view of the interior. Above the door was a simple awning, and a circular window above it. It appeared that every room had at least one window, and all of them had curtains covering them, except for the circular window. Against the orange evening sky, it looked like it could be a painting.

"Well, let's see what big brother did with the place." Sasuke said, walking up the small sidewalk leading to the door. I followed after him, and when we entered the house, we began inspecting every bit of it. The door lead to a foyer, where a couple glass tables sat with candles and fake flowers decorating the surfaces. A simple rectangular mirror hung from the wall, and other than that the room was plain. On the left and right side of the foyer were two closets and a coatrack. Slipping off our sandal, we went through the entryway directly ahead. We entered a large living room, and looked to the right where a grey couch and two matching sofas were pushed against the walls, and a simple wooden coffee table was in the middle, a flower display in the middle. A set of stairs could be seen behind the couch, leading upwards to a small indoor balcony style walkway where there were some more rooms. On the left were a set of two doors. From one we could hear Itachi cooking, and we could smell an aroma of BBQ coming from the room. Must be the kitchen. The other room was a simple dining room, a small crystal chandelier hung over a wooden circular table, six chairs sat around it. A few portraits of different landscapes hung from the walls of the room. Deciding to head through the door in there later, we went out to the living room.

We went up the stairs next, finding three doors. The first led to a simple bathroom, and the second led to Sasuke's room. A bed with a blue comforter sat against the left wall, pushed into the corner of the back wall, and a desk with a couple of textbooks on top sat opposite of that. A simple wooden dresser with a couple of boxes on top was next to the door, and an empty shelf was against the back wall, next to the window in the center.

Itachi's room was next, similar to Sasuke's only with a door leading to another bathroom in the back left corner of the room, and the bed was in the front left corner. Some decorations were already placed around, so we decided to give Itachi his privacy and went back down stairs. We went to the mysterious door in the dining room and found that it led to a small hallway, where a bathroom and a spare bedroom were located. We went back to the living room and traveled to the back wall. A door led to the backyard of the house. The house had a small patio with a couple lawn chairs set up with matching coffee tables. The backyard was large, freshly trimmed grass in a clearing of small oak trees. At the back of the small field was a pathway through the trees that curved out of view, which I guess led to my house.

Heading down the path I was pleasantly surprised to find a smaller scale version of the house with some cherry blossom trees on either side and behind the house. Entering the front door we were met with the site of a grey sofa with two matching chairs pushed against the left wall, a rectangular wooden coffee table in front of them. On the right side of the house was a small kitchen with some plain wood cabinets, sink, fridge, and grey countertops. On the counter sat a simple black microwave. On the back wall were three doors. One led to my bathroom, the second led to my bedroom. My bedroom was identical to Sasuke's except for mine was themed in the color purple. I too had some boxes, and an empty shelf.

"No way." Sasuke said after looking out the window. He rushed out of the room and went out the third door on the wall, the one in the middle. I followed after him, stopping on the small patio to admire the view.

The grass clearing in the cherry blossoms held a surprise for me, in the form of a red dojo. Sasuke was already inside it by the time I exited the house, and I could hear the sounds of his excitement from inside the dojo. I walked over to the red-wood building, running a hand over the smooth paint. The inside had a canvas rug over the entire floor, a yin yang design sewn into the center, each side surrounded by a black dragon and a white dragon, respectively. Along the back wall were some weapon racks, mostly empty except for the center. The center held two wooden practice versions of the 6 weapons the Shimada use. Sasuke was currently examining the katana, giving it a few practice swings.

"That's a good weapon choice." I said, leaning against the doorway. "Sufficient speed, good reach, and not very heavy. Viable."

"Yea." Sasuke said. "I always liked these, more than Itachi's tanto."

"Agreed. Let's head back and get some of that dinner. I am starving." As we left I spared another glance at the dojo, spotting a small black box by the left corner rack. Deciding my hunger was more important, I went after Sasuke.

We made our way back to the main house and were greeted with the sight of Itachi eating a plate of BBQ in the dining room. "Dinner is on the counter. Help yourselves." He called out to us. "How was test day?"

"Good." Sasuke answered. "We kept the same rankings, but I'm getting closer to Kai's kunai scores."

"And Tenten is gunning for your Shuriken record, Itachi." I said. "She's gaining ground on Sasuke for them, that's for sure."

"Interesting." He said. After me and Sasuke got food, we went and sat with Itachi at the table, starting a tradition for the rest of the years we would spend together. Three orphaned boys, surviving a tragedy together. What an odd sight.

* * *

 **That's the end of this chapter. This is the house that they will be staying in for (hopefully) the rest of the story. The outfits I described in the Hokage House Courtyard will be the ones they wear for the rest of the genin days, with some alterations here and there that will be described. Like Kai wearing a black hoodie, or Itachi putting on his vest and bracers. Simple stuff. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed, and leave a Review telling me what you think. Now to reply to a couple reviews.**

 **Coal Burns: what would happen if Itachi died the gave his sharingan to Kai. an electric Tsukuyomi.**

 **Well, I'm going to guess you meant Mangekyo and not Tsukuyomi, as the latter is a genjutsu. I admit, doing that is an interesting idea, but the issue is with Sasuke. Let's see if I can avoid too many major spoilers. In the final episodes/chapters of Naruto Shippuden, Sasuke pretty much only uses Mangekyo abilities. He gains a bit of a boost from Itachi's eyes, which is pretty much what makes spamming those abilities so viable. Taking that boost away would cripple him, and that is not exactly something the Narutoverse could afford, without Kai becoming Sasuke's replacement. But, if that's what you guys want to see, I can make that a possibility.**

 **111segasonic: I'm gonna go with 6, seeing as I'm not really a fan of romance.**

 **That is completely understandable, and depending on the situation/setting I agree. That being said, how the hell do you find any fanfiction to read!? Romance is in like every single one! I'll go ahead and give you a tip though, and that is to avoid the end of Chapter 11 of this story (Yes I already planned that far ahead). Not giving too much away, but it involves a bottle and some preteens.**

 **Now on to more voting. Who should I pair Sasuke with?**

 **1)Ino. It'll be the typical fangirl stuff at first, but will eventually evolve into something more. Oh, and some catfights.**

 **2)Hinata. This would likely be a bit difficult to write, but it is doable. Basically, Hinata would silently admire him and Sasuke would seek refuge in her from the fangirls. Eventually they hit it off.**

 **3)Sakura. Basically, it will be the same as Ino, but instead of growing into something beautiful, it'll evolve into Sakura being overly attached and Sasuke sticking around cause she can give good head. No joke, that is my plan with this pairing.**

 **4)The boys. Bros before Hoes, amirite? But seriously, in this Sasuke will pretty much only have one night stands or whatever and be the kid we all wanted to be in high school.**

 **All that being said, I will see you next week.**


	10. Chapter 10

When Worlds Collide

Chapter 10: Death and Rebirth

 **Hello everyone! So a quick change before we get on with the story. From now on the replies to reviews will be at the start of the chapter. So, let's go ahead and do that.**

 **First things first, let's go ahead and respond to 111segasonic, which I'm not going to type because his review is basically just commenting on my reply to his last review. That is an excellent strategy and I hope I can add this story to your list.**

 **Shy911: Hi I absolutely love your story so far. I also wanted in on helping choose pairings. For Kai I'll have to go with Hana and for Sasuke it'll have to be hinata.**

 **Unfortunately, I have already somewhat planned out Kai's pairing, but I can try and make these things more like legitimate relationships and have him date more than just one of the Leaf girls. If you all want that to be a thing, let me know! As for your vote on Sasuke, a fine choice. Your vote has been counted.**

 **Gir240: You drop the ball this chapter just blurting everything out to itachi is just lazy. And the rest of the chapter feels extremely weak compared to the previous ones.**

 **So, before my response to the first one, I have to give a brief little behind the scenes explanation here. I have a few buddies that help me come up with ideas for the chapters to put in the Lottery. With all of our combined brainpower, we could not find a solution that didn't involve Itachi torturing Kai with Tsukuyomi. So, I will be the first to admit that was a weak decision. I wrote myself into a hole, but that's all I could think of to get myself out. I am deeply sorry about that blunder of mine. This is my first ever fanfic, so there are bound to be some missteps here and there, and I really appreciate the criticism. It helps me learn to make a better story for you all. As for the second part, yea, it was a bit weaker. As will the next few chapters. Simply put, I don't feel right only writing the darker, hard-hitting chapters that I have been. There needs to be some breaks from that here and there, but trust me, there is more to come. Just expect these next few chapters to be a bit lighter in tone (with the exception of this first part) and be mostly character progression. These are kind of necessary to happen before we get to the making of teams.**

* * *

A day after the Uchihas and I moved into our house, a funeral was held for both the Uchiha and Shimada clans. Each clan was buried in their own mass grave, and a memorial was built for both clans. A marble statue of an Uchiha Fan stood atop a stone block, with a marble dragon swirling around it. Carved into the block were the names of every clan member who died that night. The funeral was held at the memorial, and most of the village had showed up. Most were there simply to express condolences to me and the two remaining Uchiha. The rest brought flowers, letters, and other sentimental items to lay by the memorial. Some words were spoken, mostly friends of different members recounting stories or telling of how amazing a certain clan member was. At the end of the service, everyone went on with the rest of their day, going back to work, to train, or back home to relax. I didn't. I stood there, just staring at the memorial, specifically, at my mother's and Uncle's name. Four words. That's all that will be left for these two amazing people. They may not have been my real parents, but they were the closest people I had for the last seven years. It was rough. I felt my stomach growl, announcing my need of food, but I stood there still, paralyzed by the finality of the situation. Four words. Their bodies were probably just haphazardly thrown into a hole with the rest of the Shimada. It wasn't fair. Four words were not enough to describe these two. Four words didn't convey the calming blue of Touhiro's eyes, or the happy jade of Sansa's eyes. They didn't do any of this justice.

I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. Slowly turning my head, I saw the onyx eyes of Itachi staring down at me. "Shouldn't you be comforting Sasuke?" I said.

"I was. He went to bed already." Itachi said. Looking around, I realized it was now dark. "You should be doing the same. You got the day off today, but you do have class tomorrow."

"I wasn't under the impression you cared."

"Well," Itachi sighed. "I've been acting rather cold to you."

"Understatement of the year." I cut him off.

"I understand you're grieving, but please don't take that out on me." Itachi said somberly. "You aren't the only one suffering. My family is also gone, and I had to kill my best friend. You aren't the only one who lost someone."

"Sorry. But you at least have Sasuke." I said slowly. "I have no one."

"That brings me to why I am here." Itachi announced. "You have Sasuke, and while it may seem at times that you do not, you have me as well."

"I thought you hated me."

"I don't hate you. I didn't trust you, and then I was upset at you." Itachi said. "I still harbor some of those emotions. But Sasuke trusts and cares for you. You are very important to him, and he has shown me the good side of you, and that alone I believe is worth my trust and care. While it will take some time for me to get to that level with you, I am willing to try."

"So," I turned to face Itachi, onyx eyes meeting purple. "what is this, then?"

"A start." Itachi declared. "I picked up Ichiraku. If we leave now, it might still be warm when we get home."

"Fine." I said. "And Itachi? Thanks for that. I needed to get out of that trance."

"No problem."

* * *

Life was different from then on. The days no longer dragged on, but rather rushed by really quickly. In the blink of an eye we were finished with every subject at the Academy, and were headed out the door. Me and Sasuke would race home, only to find Itachi in the kitchen cooking dinner. He was a really good cook. Sasuke and I would go, take showers, and put on our pajamas as fast as possible so we could help Itachi make food. We had a sort of meal plan in place, Mondays would be BBQ, Tuesdays were Ichiraku, Wednesdays were "Kai's Experiment Day" where I would just make food from my old world and tell Sasuke that I came up with it. Thursday's were Fish Day (Itachi would make just about any type of fish, from salmon to koi), and Friday's were Restaurant Day, where we would decide on a restaurant to eat at. On the weekends we ate whatever was left over through the week. Itachi was so committed to this plan, he would make it in advance for us if he was going to be gone on a mission. Our nightly routine was to make and eat dinner, show Itachi what we were learning, have him give us tips, do homework, and go to bed. It was like we were a small family, growing up together. The only difference is that Sasuke was definitely the favorite in the household. Both me and Itachi favored him over each other.

Life in the Academy was taking a more drastic change. The girls were starting to get interested in guys, and began making "claims" on the guys in our class. The issue was that there was a distinctly disproportionate number of males to females, as in 3 girls per guy. A few were lucky, and made a "claim" on guys that no one else did. The rest, not so much.

Sasuke definitely had his fan club, some eight girls were always fighting over him. I was in a similar position, with six girls always fawning over my purple eyes and taijutsu skills. Occasionally one would make a move on me and the others would essentially jump her. It was rather entertaining. The only girl that didn't seem to be affected by the madness was Tenten. She usually just sat in the corner glaring at the fangirls with contempt. She and I would usually smirk at each other and shake our heads when a fight would break out.

Speaking of Tenten, she had officially tied my old record of perfect kunai throws, putting her two behind my current record. She was the same with Sasuke and shuriken. Her taijutsu was starting to falter, something that I predicted. Sasuke and I remained at the top, and he was catching up to me. Our spars usually went first on test day because they took the longest. Every fight went exactly the same way. We would go in with a few testing blows, then try and surprise each other with a haymaker. Because we know each other so well, we would either dodge, block, or counter the other's move. We would do this until Sasuke or I would get tired and slip up, giving an opening for a final blow.

One thing I noticed that was definitely different was the way Shikamaru and Choji treated Naruto. Rather than always ignoring him, the two were actually starting to be friends with him. Choji would talk to Naruto about all the best eating spots, and Shika would swindle Choji out of some food so Naruto would have a full lunch. I should really go and talk to him, try and befriend him. Maybe once we get to our final year.

* * *

It had been 3 years since the fateful night, and I was meditating in my dojo on this lovely Saturday Afternoon. Well, meditating was just what it looked like. Really, I was discussing possible Dragon Release Jutsu to use in the future with Murasa. He had a lot of knowledge about that, considering his Elder Status. I was in the middle of discussing a justu to use with Kunai when I was rudely interrupted.

"Hey Kai!" Sasuke called. From the distant sound of his voice, it was clear he was standing at the entrance to the guest house. "You got a visitor. Are you decent?"

Looking down at my shirtless body, and black gi style pants that were covered in holes, I sent back my response. "Depends on your definition of decent. I'm in the dojo by the way!"

"Alright, we'll head around!" He yelled back. A few seconds later Sasuke hopped up the steps into the dojo, standing in the doorway. He held his arm out, signaling whoever this visitor was to stay for a few seconds. "I believe the answer to my question is 'no.'" He said laughing.

"Well," I said, "I think I look fine. I was training after all."

"You were meditating."

"Mental Training." I clarified.

"Well," Sasuke laughed, "your appearance to your visitor is your problem." He darted off before I could say anything, calling out a wish of good luck to my mystery visitor. I rolled my eyes at this, shaking my head slightly. A second later, a few quick taps were heard as my guest trotted up the stairs. I glanced up, meeting the sight of a lightly blushing Tenten.

"You, ah, I, um." She stammered, eyes locked on my shirtless torso.

I looked down at myself, seeing the very light muscle tone that came with my 10 year old Shinobi body. "It appears I am underdressed." I stated, seeing her in her usual pink shirt and blue pants.

"Y-you have tattoos." She finally decided.

"That I do. Comes with my Shimada Heritage." I said. "They go onto my shoulder too. Wanna see?"

"Uh, yea, I mean, sure." She said, intrigued. I turned around, stretching my arm out so she could see the full thing. A soft sigh of awe left her lips. She stammered out another question. "C-can I touch them?"

"Go for it." I laughed. I had never seen her this embarrassed before. A few seconds later, her soft hands very lightly grazed over my arm. She gasped as she felt them, every few seconds pausing for a moment to ground herself. "You sure mask the whole 'Ohmygosh he's so cute I'm gonna die' feelings well."

She stopped touching my arm, moving back guiltily. I turned to face her, only to see her staring at her feet. "I didn't think you noticed…"

"Well, every girl is like that, so either you were a fluke or were hiding it."

"C-can you put a shirt on or something?" She said, flustered. "It's really hard to concentrate when your bod- your tattoos are out in the open like that."

"Definitely the tattoos." I laughed.

"Well, I mean, that's what's most attracti- I mean distracting. The way they flow around is really cool, and it's not like your body isn't distracting, it is, you're in really good shape, and I'm rambling, aren't I?" Tenten hurriedly spoke, still looking at her feet. "I'm sorry, I ramble when I get flustered and I don't know why or how to stop it, it just kind of happens and I hate it but it's unavoidable, my whole family is like that. We just ramble on when we don't know what to say, and we just say whatever comes to our mind. Is it getting hot in here?"

"No, it's a very cool afternoon." I said, now wearing my usual attire of black pants with a matching hoodie, unzipped to show the purple shirt underneath. "You can look up now. And I counted at least 6 grammatical errors in what you said."

"Sorry." She said sheepishly. "It's the stupid hormones."

"Its ok." I said, waving it off. "Why did you come here, by the way?"

"Oh, right!" She said, remembering. "Kiba is planning a party for making it this far in the Academy. Shikamaru demanded you come and play him in chess, and Kiba wants your help inviting people. Something about you and Sasuke being hard to say no to?"

"Sneaky bastard." I said, shaking my head with a grin. "He wants us there to make sure other people come, and Shikamaru refuses to believe that I was able to beat him in chess."

"Oh, ok." She said. "So is that a yes or a no?"

"A yes from me," I said. "but I can't speak for Sasuke."

"Good thing I'm here then." Sasuke said from the doorway. "What's going on?"

"Kiba, the Inuzaka kid, wants to throw a party for everyone's success in the Academy. He wants me and you to invite people so they'll actually show up."

"Sounds good to me." Sasuke said. "I should go ask my brother if that's ok, though."

"Got that covered already, bro." I said, chuckling to myself. I walked over to the wall and pounded on it with the side of my fist. A moment later, Itachi dropped from the rafters of the dojo. "Before you ask, you made a grunt of disapproval when I didn't tell Sasuke I wasn't decent. Also, you know this is supposed to be my safe space, right?"

"Yes." Itachi said. "Which is why I came over when the girl arrived to make sure you weren't in here to make out or whatever."

"How the hell does that matter?" I asked, exasperated. "It's my business, not yours."

"You know why I have a problem with it." He said, glaring at me. "The rule is two dates before you bring her home, or else you get to take care of dinner and chores for the next week and a half. A rule you made when I tried to bring home a girl I had met."

"Petty son of a- "

"NOT IN FRONT OF TENTEN!" Sasuke shouted, cutting off my next word. We all looked over to see Tenten giggling, her hand covering her mouth.

"This is so funny." She said. "You bicker back and forth so much."

"I'm glad you think so." Itachi said. "Sasuke, let's leave the two of them alone for a bit. Tell me the day of the party when you find out from Kiba, got it Kai?"

"Yea." I said. "No problem. I'll come grab you when we are ready to head over to the Inuzaka compound, Sasuke."

They both left, leaving me and Tenten to ourselves. She began looking at the dojo, paying extra attention to the weapon racks. I knew her question before she even said it. "What's with the empty racks?"

"Well, I'm not exactly permitted to buy real weapons yet, and there's no point in buying a bunch of practice ones when I'm only ever gonna need two of each."

"That makes sense." She said, moving to the practice rack. "You can use all of these?"

"I'm the best with the wakizashi, that short curved one there, and then the naginata." I said, gesturing to both. "I plan to work on the rest, but it's hard without a teacher for those."

"You have a teacher for those two?"

"Sort of. My clan left behind a bunch of scrolls, and I found some for both of them." I lied. In reality, Murasa was giving me tips on the naginata and wakizashi. I do have a lot of scrolls from the Shimada library, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were scrolls for the weapons.

"Cool. Is that what's in this box?" She said, moving to the center of the back wall. On a small pedestal sat a black lockbox. It had dragons caved into its metal exterior to give it the Shimada look.

"No, that is a scroll for Shimada artifacts." I said. "It has a Dragon Seal on it so only a Shimada can get in it."

"Oh, cool." She said with a smile. "I like your dojo."

"Thanks." I said with a smile. "I plan to make it a lot better when I can afford more decorations. Maybe expand it to make it bigger? I'd love to hear any suggestions you have later. We should probably head to Kiba's house, now, though."

"Yea, you're right." Tenten smiled, her brown eyes shining in the sunlight that was creeping through the doorway. "Kiba can get rather impatient. Let's go grab Sasuke and head over there."

"Absolutely." I said. "Follow me."

* * *

 **Mark down another chapter as complete. So, there is one more chance to vote for Sasuke's pairing before it is announced next week. Your choices are:**

 **Sasuke x Ino, a tale of the fangirl who grew up.**

 **Sasuke x Hinata, a tale of destroying the dreaded realm that is the friendzone**

 **Sasuke x Sakura, a tale of an overly attached girl and a guy who doesn't give teo shits.**

 **Sasuke x anything and everything at once, a tale of the ultimate player.**

 **Cast your vote in a review, pm, or whatever other way you have to contact me. I will see you guys in the next chapter. Take care.**


	11. Chapter 11

When Worlds Collide

Chapter 11: Like There's No Tomorrow

 **Welcome everybody! This is the last chapter that takes place before the first episode of Naruto. The result of the two pairing votes will be announced later in the chapter, and another vote is at the ending Author's Note. I also try out a POV shift later on in the chapter, so let me know what you think of that! Have fun reading!**

* * *

The three of us walked through the streets of Konoha to get to the Inuzaka compound. We traveled with myself and Sasuke on either side of Tenten, I was on the left and Sasuke on the right. While we made our way through the busy streets, Tenten tried to initiate conversation with the Uchiha.

"So," She said. "What do you like to do for fun?"

"Train, eat, sleep." Sasuke replied, slightly irritated. He didn't enjoy being the center of attention.

"That's it?" Tenten asked, surprised. "You don't have any hobbies, like music or art?"

"Nope." He responded.

"Sasuke is a pretty simple guy." I interjected, hoping to avoid my worst fear, _awkward silence_. Gives me shivers just thinking of the name. "He takes the ninja life seriously. Pretty much everything he does is to better that goal of being a Shinobi. But, I do have to admit that he is lying about not having a hobby."

"Kai, I swear to god, if you say this…" Sasuke warned.

"Sasuke is a great dancer." I said, staring him directly in his eyes. He wants to threaten me, he better back up that threat. "He thinks it'll help him get a girlfriend one day. That, and his plush duck collection."

"That's it!" Sasuke screamed. In an instant, he had leapt over Tenten and was aiming an axe kick at my skull. I caught it on my forearms and rolled him off me. When he landed, we both got into our Taijutsu stances, ready to pounce. Right as we were about to make our move, a certain brunette jumped between us.

"Everyone calm down!" Tenten yelled, arms outstretched to make herself a wall between us. "I thought you two were like brothers, what is going on with you?!"

Sasuke spoke first. "I wasn't going to hurt him, not badly at least."

"Same here." I said, ending the standoff. As we rose from our stance, I dusted off my forearms. "It's only serious when we bust out the duct tape covered plastic ball bat."

"What?" Tenten said, confused by my words.

"Don't worry about it." I said, waving my previous comment off. "We get into little fights here and there, it happens."

"Yea, sorry to scare you." Sasuke confirmed. "And to be clear, I only dance because it helps with footwork."

"Sure you do." I teased.

"Shut up." He retorted. We then went back on our journey across the village, this time talking about dancing, ducks, and beating the shit out of each other with plastic baseball bats.

* * *

When we arrived at the compound, Kiba was already at the door, waiting for us. "Hey guys!" He called out with a wave. A small pup peered out from behind him, letting out a light bark.

Tenten was at the dog immediately. "Who is this little guy?" She cooed. "Look at his little paws, and the cute little snout. Oh, he's so _adorable_!"

"This," Kiba announced, filled with pride. "Is my new partner, Akamaru! Once he grows up a little we can start using my family's techniques."

"That's really cool, Kiba." I said, amused by the sight of Tenten fawning over the puppy. I doubt she heard anything other than the dog's name.

"So," Sasuke interrupted. "About this party…"

"Ah, right. Follow me!" Kiba said, moving into the main house of the compound. Akamaru chased after Kiba, and I had to grab Tenten's arm before she began assaulting the poor pup with more kisses and belly rubs. We arrived in a large room, with couches and chairs arranged in a large square. It was clear this was the living room. The top of Shikamaru's head could be seen from over the back of one of the chairs, and a light snore could be heard. "The party is gonna be here, we just need to figure out who we are all inviting, and what all we should do."

"Sounds good." I said, plotting on how to wake up Shikamaru. A loud yell maybe?

Kiba veat me to the punch when he walked over and shook the Nara awake. "Hey man, they're here. Let's get to planning already!"

"Alright." Shikamaru said with a yawn. "The only requests I have is that Ino and Choji come, and that at some point I get a rematch with Kai at chess."

"It was one time! One time I beat you!"

"It doesn't matter!" He yelled back.

"Calm down." Kiba said with a laugh. "We can definitely do those things. Sasuke, is there anything in particular you want?"

"BBQ and dango." Sasuke replied coolly.

"Done. Kai?"

"The only thing I want is for Akamaru to not be with us the entire time." I said, seeing how Tenten was staring at the pup. Her gaze shifted to me, becoming a hate filled glare. I smiled sweetly back at her. "That way we can actually enjoy Tenten, Ino, and any other girl's company."

"Okay, but I will bring him out at least once. He gets lonely." Kiba said.

"Fine by me."

"Alright, Tenten?"

"I want some games that can help us get to know each other better. I barely know some of you, and we've been training together for three years now." She said with a smile. "And maybe some music and dancing."

"Absolutely doable." Kiba said, grinning. "Well, that's Ino and Choji we are going to invite. Who else?"

"Hinata, she could use some friends." Tenten said.

"Shino. He seems… interesting." Sasuke said.

"How about that one girl in our class, the one with pink hair?" I asked. "Sakura, I think is her name."

"Sure." Kiba said. "She and Ino might get in a fight over Sasuke though."

"It'll be fine." I said, In all honesty, the plan was for them to fight over Sasuke. Them fighting had become my favorite pastime.

"I think my sister will show up too." Kiba said. "She's only a year older, so it won't be that awkward."

"That means nine people are coming." Shikamaru said. "I hate that number."

"We could invite Naruto." I suggested.

"I'm not sure how mom would feel about that." Kiba said. "Most adults don't like him for some reason."

"What's the worst that could happen?" I said. "Worst case scenario your mom kicks him out and we apologize at class when we see him next."

"Fair enough." Shikamaru said. "I'll get an invite to him and Choji. Sasuke should invite Ino and Sakura so they show up, Tenten should invite Hinata, and Kai can invite Shino. Kiba, you clear it with your mom. What day should we have it?"

"I was hoping for next Saturday from 7-10."

"Sounds good to me. Everyone else agree?" Shikamru asked. We all nodded, and he continued. "Good. Contact myself or Kiba if anyone cannot make it, and we will reassess. If nothing like that happens, then I will see you here next Saturday." He strolled out the door, probably heading to go and take another nap. Man, he's only 11 and already showing leadership skills. No wonder he was the first to Chunin. We all followed suit shortly after, heading out to find our respective potential party goers.

* * *

Saturday eventually rolled around. Sasuke and I were standing at the door of the Inuzaka compound. We were about 20 minutes late, because Itachi decided that he wanted to check our reaction to the unknown. Basically, he jumped us as we were leaving, causing us to have to fight him off just to be able to leave. What a prick.

We were lead in by an Inuzaka guard, who took us to the main house. He left us at the door, and we could hear the faint sounds of the party happening inside. We were greeted to the sight of Kiba and Shino having a dance battle. Neither of them could dance. Tenten rushed over when she saw us. "Hey guys! We went ahead and started the party, but it's ok cause it's just getting started. We only finished the BBQ 10 minutes ago. There's still plenty left, even after Naruto had his fill!" She gestured over to the table, where we saw a significantly gorged Naruto laying on his back, face covered in sauce. He was muttering the words "Believe it" in his sleep.

"I'm not all that hungry, but help yourself Sasuke." I turned to see him already making a beeline for the food. "So, did everyone make it?"

"Yup!" Tenten said happily. "Everyone is here. Kiba's sister, Hana, is finishing up some homework before she comes down, so she may be a little while. Other than that, everyone made it."

"Well good. Let's get to the party then!" I said, grabbing her hand and dragging her over to the dance battle. We held a tournament, with each person dancing against another until all but one was eliminated. I came in third, Tenten in second, and Sasuke came first and schooled everyone. His battles weren't even close. Next we played a game where we told our partner (drawn at random) two truths about ourselves and one lie. The goal was to find the lie, and if you did, you get a point. First person to get 5 points wins. Shino decimated everyone at this one, with Naruto coming in second at 3 points. After this, people began opening up to the blonde more. He was starting to be accepted into the group. When we began to play charades next, Hana came and joined us. She had long brown hair, and wore a simple green shirt with black pants. Her face had the typical Inuzaka warpaint, and she seemed to warm up to Shino the fastest. Eventually, Ino and Sakura had their fight, over who could act out "Sasuke's crush" better, and Tenten somehow got some popcorn to enjoy while we watched. It was glorious.

When they finally settled down, I looked at the clock. It read 9:00 p.m. "So, we still have an hour left. What's next?" I asked.

"Well," Kiba said. "me and Shika had planned for now to be the time to take any suggestions. We have a plan of what we can play if no one has any ideas, but we wanted to hear some input."

Almost immediately Ino's hand shot up. "I know! We can play Seven Minutes in Heaven." She said deviously. I knew she would bust out with something like this.

"What's that?' Hinata tentatively asked.

"I'm glad you asked." Ino said with an evil smirk. "We all get in a circle and lay down a bottle in the middle. One person spins the bottle, and whoever the bottle points at gets put in a closet with the spinner for 7 minutes. Whatever happens in there is purely at their discretion."

"What happens if the botte lands on someone of the same sex, or on ourselves?" Shikamaru asked, intrigued.

"I didn't think of that…" Ino said guiltily.

"Why don't we write names on pieces of paper and spin the bottle that way?" Kiba suggested. "That way we can just have the girl's spin and pair up with guys!"

"Good idea, Kiba!" Sakura said. Before I could complain, they all rushed to grab a bottle and some slips of paper. They brought the named papers and bottle to the center of the room, laying out the guys' name's first. "I'll go first!" Sakura announced. She spun the bottle as fast as she could, watching intently as it spun round and round, slowing down near Sasuke's name. She got more and more excited, only to be crestfallen when it landed on Shikamaru's name. They were lead to the coat closet in the room, and conversation resumed. When the seven minutes were up, a very pissed off Sakura stormed out of the closet, and a slightly disappointed Shikamaru walked out after her.

"Hana, your turn!" Sakura yelled. Hana quickly flicked the bottle, causing it to spin around once before it landed on Shino's name. They shrugged at each other and went to the closet. When their time was up, they walked out still deep in conversation about how some insects could be used medicinally for dogs.

"Tenten, you go!" Sakura said as Ino was about to volunteer herself to be next.

* * *

 **POV Shift:Tenten**

I slowly walked up to the bottle, heart racing out of my chest. I don't know why I was so nervous, it's not like anything is supposed to happen in there. You can do whatever, like with Shino and Hana. Feeling slightly more determined, I spun the empty bottle by its neck. It spun around three times, before slowly coming to a stop at a piece of paper.

 _Sasuke_

Ino and Sakura glared daggers at me, about to pounce, and I just kept looking between them and the bottle. A brief flash of purple chakra rushed over it, and the bottle moved to the paper adjacent to that one.

 _Kai_

Kai cleared his throat. "I don't know why you two are freaking out so much, look at the bottle." The two girls did as they were told, and were shocked to find it pointing to Kai's name. "Well Tenten, shall we get this over with so Ino can get her spin?"

"S-sure." I stammered. He led me over to the closet, opening the door for me. When I got inside, I sat in the far corner, as far away as I could, hugging my knees to my chest. He seemingly sensed my hesitation, as he sat down in the opposite corner. We sat for a solid ten seconds before I broke the silence. "D-did you move the bottle?" I asked.

"Yea," he sighed, "this way we might get to see Ino and Sakura fight over how Ino got to be alone with Sasuke for seven whole minutes."

"You don't think they'll fight over her k-kissing him?" I questioned.

"No." Kai said with a chuckle. "Sasuke probably won't kiss her. He'll probably go for a more casual approach and just talk to her."

"Oh, o-ok." I stuttered.

"Why are you so nervous?" Kai asked, concerned. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"It's not you, it's the closet." I clarified. I felt the heat slowly rise to my cheeks when I heard his genuine concern for me. "It's dark, and I'm alone with a boy. I've never done this before."

"Well, I can fix one of those things. Would you like me to light this closet up some?"

"S-sure." I said surprised.

"Alright." He said. "Here goes nothing."

* * *

 **POV Shift:Kai**

"Dragon Release: Dragon Dart." I said, holding the Shimada Hand Seal. My pointer and middle finger of my right hand were pointed upwards, the wrist of my right hand resting atop my left hand, which was closed in a fist. My tattoos glowed softly through the sleeves of my hoodie for a moment, before a tiny foot-long dragon swirled around my fingers. The purple chakra illuminated the dark closet softly, giving enough light to see the wonder on Tenten's face.

"Woah…" She said, in awe. I began twirling my finger around, directing the dragon's flight. The dragon danced around the closet, keeping Tenten's gaze locked. "How do you know how to do this?"

"Well, it's part of my family." I explained. "When we turn six, we are bonded with a spirit dragon. The dragon gives us tattoos, boosts a nature affinity, and provides counsel on how to use jutsu such as this."

"So there's a dragon inside of you?"

"More like its chakra. Using its chakra, I can summon its true form, or create chakra avatars like this one. Wanna feel his presence?"

"Sure." She said.

I motioned for her to scoot closer, and when she did, I pulled back my sleeve to reveal the faint purple glow of my tattoos. "Put your hand on my tattoos, and gather a little bit of chakra in your palm." She did as she was told, closing her eyes to concentrate. Her brown eyes suddenly shot open, surprised. "Did you feel the little jolt of electricity?" She nodded quickly. "That was Murasa. He says hello."

"That's really cool." She whispered, her hand still on my arm. We sat like that for a little bit longer, staring into each other's eyes. It was then I noticed how close she was. Her hip was lightly pressed against mine, her torso mere inches away. Once this was noticed, it was like there were magnets being drawn between us. Our head slowly drew closer together, slightly tilted in opposite directions. Her soft lips briefly brushed against mine, before pulling away suddenly. She was blushing, hard. "We shouldn't be doing this, should we? I mean, we could get in trouble or something. What happens when Mrs. Inuzaka comes in and sees us. I don't wanna get grounded, and my dad might not let you see me, and that would not be ok. I like seeing you, and, and, and…"

"Tenten." I said, snapping her out of her rambling session. "Shut up and do whatever you want. Whatever it is will be much better than this rambling."

That was all it took. She threw herself on to me, lips immediately locking with mine. We fell backwards, and she shifted to get more comfortable, straddling my body. She leant over and continued the make out, moaning softly into the kiss. My hands rubbed slowly along the sides of her thighs, before sliding up to her back, where my left hand stayed. My right kept going up, all the way to the back of her head. My fingers entwined in her hair, pulling her deeper into the kiss. A few seconds later, I pulled loose the two buns she had her hair done into, letting the brown locks spill out. She broke the kiss to sit up and adjust her new hairdo, giving me a chance to see it.

She managed to pack a lot of hair into one bun, as her hair now fell evenly down to her jawline. The brown locks were perfectly straight, framing her face perfectly. I admired the view for a moment, before shifting to lean my back against the wall. Tenten re-assumed her straddling position, and we continued to kiss. A few minutes later, a soft knock was heard at the door. We immediately stopped and Tenten crawled over beside me. The door opened, pouring light into the closet. We both blinked to adjust our eyes, only to find Ino standing in the doorway. "I hope you had fun, because you went a minute over your time limit." She said teasingly.

"We had a lot of fun." I replied smoothly. "We had our own party, with Blackjack and Hookers."

"Sounds like a good time." Ino joked. "Now get out, it's my turn to spin." Myself and Tenten got up, heading out to the rest of the group. As I passed Sasuke, I gave him a quick wink. He rolled his eyes and flashed a thumbs up before turning his attention to the bottle. Ino confidently walked over to the bottle. She bent over directly in front of Sasuke, an act that got a grunt of disapproval, she gently spun the bottle. To her dismay, it did not go to the adjacent name, but traveled two places.

 _Naruto_

"DAMMIT!" Ino screamed. Naruto let out a triumphant shout, Sakura cackled, and everyone else, excluding Sasuke, sighed in disappointment. Sasuke looked relieved. The two blondes walked to the closet, one happy and another angry. A few seconds in an audible slap could be heard, and Ino stormed out screaming "IDIOT!" before storming out the front door, presumably headed home. Upon inspection of the closet, an unconscious Naruto with a red handprint on his face was found. We carried him out and laid him on the couch, letting him wake up on his own time.

Then came Hinata's turn, and she was left with the only option left, Sasuke. Had I not glared her down, Sakura might have jumped the poor girl. The two of them went to the closet, Hinata blushing and Sasuke just generally looking annoyed. When they came out, both looked a lot more comfortable with one another, and Hinata wasn't blushing for once. I raised one brow to Sasuke quizzically, and he mouthed "She's a decent friend" before returning to our conversation, currently on cleanup duty and who would get the leftover dango. Sasuke and I won that when we brought up how Itachi would slaughter us if we didn't bring him any.

* * *

Tenten and I stood outside of the compound, ahead of everyone else. 10:00 had rolled around, and people were going home. Tenten and I had left 5 minutes early to catch some alone time before parting ways.

"So, what are we?" Tenten asked, biting her lip. At some point she had returned her hair to its typical two-bun style.

"Well, I think we're Academy Students, but I may be wrong." I said.

"Idiot." She said, slapping my arm. "I meant if we were dating or still friends."

"What do you want us to be?"

"I want something more than friendship." She said slowly.

"Well, there's your answer." I said. I quickly gave her a hug. "I'll see you on Monday."

"Bye Kai." She said as she walked away.

"Good job." Called Itachi as he materialized from the shadows. "You got yourself a girlfriend."

"How long were you there?" I asked.

"Not too long," He replied casually. "I came right after I put all the dishes in the sink, which you have to do by the way. Just like the ones you will do for the next week, alongside the rest of the nightly chores."

"No, this doesn't count." I argued. "We only just now started dating, I haven't brought her back to the house yet!"

"I think it counts." Called out Sasuke, who was currently leaning against the wall of the Compound.

"Well, looks like it's two against one. Kai, you get all the chores for a week. Starting tonight." Said Itachi. "I'd hurry home so you can get to bed on time."

"NOT FAIR"

* * *

 **Well, that ends the pre-series setup chapters. Now we get into the fun stuff. Before that, I just have one question: Who should be on Team 7 with Naruto and Sasuke?**

 **Sakura. In this, Team 7 will go on their original missions, but will pretty much be only referenced, as Kai will be doing other things. Sakura will go on to train under Tsunade just like the original, and become the next Slug Sannin.**

 **Hinata. She will be the support member that Sakura could only dream of becoming. Same as before, the original missions will only be referenced, and not shown. Unlike the previous, in Team 7's appearances, they will actually be a fully functional team, as in there will be three working members.**

 **Ino. Pretty much the same as with Sakura, only a little bit more usefulness on Ino's part.**

 **Kai. In this one, we will see the full duration of the original missions and see how they are changed with Kai being there. The other teams will be reshuffled around, and we will get to see how little Kai's knowledge of the Bell Test does him.**

 **Well, let me know what you think, and I will see you next week!**


	12. Chapter 12

When Worlds Collide

Chapter 12: Assisted Launch

 **Welcome back! This will be the first chapter that takes place alongside the show. It is a little bit shorter than the last two, as I didn't have as much time as I usually do to stretch them out. Sorry, but blame the stupid DMV taking forever. Anyways, onto some reviews!**

 **SandSasori: Not a huge fan of how the story turned. I like it better when it was really dark. Kai being a child assassin, another clansmen betraying them and stealing the sacred weapons… and then we get happy go lucky family bonding with the Uchihas and having fun with rookie 12. :/**

 **I totally understand the sentiment. I always planned on this story being a bit darker than the rest, and that is still the plan. However, now is a bit of a lighter time in Kai's life. As such, the chapters during this period are going to be less of the dark, death fueled chapters we had beforehand. But rest assured, that will be making a return. Also, be careful what you wish for, because you have justified my plans for the Chunin Exam, and you might be biting off more than you can chew with that one.**

 **Villaverdek6: Sakura on team 7 please. Hinata's perfect for team 8 since their team's main purpose is tracking. Can't break the dynamics of Ino-Shika-Cho since on my opinion, they have the greatest teamwork among the teams. And I don't want Kai on the team since I'm sick and tired of seeing OC/SI being put on team seven and also sick and tired of reading the same canon plot with the Land of waves and all that.**

 **Yea, I gotcha. Is it wrong of me to say I wasn't looking forward to writing for Land of Waves? But seriously, I completely understand where you're coming from with this. I too feel like the fanfiction scene is oversaturated by OC's being on Team 7 and basically just copying the show. Hence me adding and changing stuff in this one. But your vote has been cast, and I hope to see you next week.**

 **Shadowfire01:** **while seeing Kai struggle with the bell test would be entertaining, I'd much rather see Hinata grow and become visibly stronger earlier on in the series. my vote is for Hinata on team seven. the POV change was interesting, but not my favorite. I have really come to appreciate the 3rd person POV so I'd like to see only that, please.**

 **So, I think you meant to say 1st person POV, cause that's what I use, but if you meant third person let me know. Also, if you really just want to see Hinata get stronger early on, I can do that no problem. The beauty of having this fic be semicanon is I can mess with whatever I can think of. Don't like how a character is written? Rewrite em! Don't like a certain jutsu? Change it! For now, I will count your vote to put Hinata in Team 7, but I can change that if you want. Don't worry, I'll make her get stronger no matter what, because you've been a pretty vocal person in the reviews and I appreciate that.**

 **111segasonic: I think it would be pretty interesting to have Kai on Team seven.**

 **I agree, hence me putting him on there, but like I said earlier this wouldn't be my first pick. However, I don't want everything to be decided purely by me, hence these votes in the first place. Imma use this to reiterate, PLEASE SUBMIT ANY IDEAS YOU HAVE FOR CHANGES. Seriously, I want to hear your opinion. I'll count your vote towards Kai being in Team 7.**

 **All that said and done, let's get on with the story.**

* * *

It was a calm Thursday night, a warm breeze going through the cherry blossom trees that surrounded my small house. I was sat upon my sofa, sipping on a nice glass of apple juice. Tomorrow was the day we became Shinobi. The day after that we would be assigned teams and begin our career of choice. I was chilling out, waiting for my guest to arrive so I could get this next conversation over with and go to bed.

Almost as if on cue, the sound of a quick knock on my door permeated the silence of the night. Opening it revealed the sight of Itachi in his pajamas, a pair of black cotton pants and a white shirt. "What is it you wanted to talk about?" He asked as I led him to the living area.

Once we were seated in the two chairs, I began to answer his question with one of my own. "I just wanted to know whether or not you could influence who becomes a Shinobi or not."

"Kai, if you are worried about the exam tomorrow, you are being idiotic. You have the two required jutsu mastered, and your ninja skills are quite sharp, even for a genin." He went on, trying to soothe my nonexistent anxiety.

"It's not for me." I replied seriously. "This is something that involves my past."

"Oh." Itachi said, his eyes widening slightly for a moment. "Well, technically I cannot promote Academy students to Genin level. That being said, I can submit a report and a recommendation, and if the Hokage accepts it, whoever the prospect is will be placed in whatever rank best suits them. Who is it that you are so worried about?"

"Naruto." I explained. "He cannot manage to make a proper clone. He has the henge mastered, more even than me or Sasuke. But it is likely that tomorrow night he will be involved in something that should prove his ability as a Shinobi easily."

"Give me a quick rundown of what this event might entail," Itachi said, intrigued. "I should be able to tell you if it will be enough or not."

"Well, there is a likely possibility that he will be tricked by a Chunin into stealing a restricted scroll. From that scroll he could potentially master an alternate version of the clone jutsu, one that he would then use when the Chunin attempts to kill him."

"Stealing a restricted scroll is more than enough to show adequate skills in stealth and tact." Itachi said. "If he is able to master a restricted jutsu in one night, and take out a Chunin level opponent on his own with said clone jutsu alone, then he should be placed as a Chunin, not a Genin."

"That's the thing, the Chunin is injured from a battle I fear won't happen." I explained to him. "In the original, he is saved by Iruka, but he isn't showing as much care for Naruto this time around."

"So what's your plan?"

"I'm going to follow Naruto into the forest and keep watch while he trains." I said. "When our Chunin friend makes an appearance, I'll jump in to assist Naruto."

"A good plan, but how will you explain your appearance?"

"I hadn't thought of that. I can always swipe something of his and use that as a reason I went looking for him."

"Sounds good." Said Itachi. "Where do I come in?"

"You get the easy part." I said. "Watch and write a report to deliver to the Hokage. If he says Naruto can be a Genin, then you can come and meet us at Ichiraku."

"Got it." Itachi said. "I'll say I came to the forest because you weren't home for dinner. That way he won't question my involvement."

"Thanks, Itachi. It may not seem like it, but this is highly important."

"You're welcome. If that is all, I will see myself out."

"See you later."

* * *

Watching Naruto piece together how a jutsu works was surprisingly entertaining. He learns in a way that is so much different from everyone else. I had been sitting in a tree, mindlessly spinning a toy shuriken Naruto "left at his desk", for what felt like only a few minutes, but in actuality had been hours. When he finally started consistently creating Shadow Clones, it was well after sunset. As I was about to call it quits, our resident Chunin showed up.

"Hey kid!" Mizuki called out to Naruto. He was in full battle gear, with a number of storage scrolls on his belt. He looked like he was about to head off for a long journey, one that I remembered was supposed to give away the Scroll of Seals to Orochimaru.

"Hey, Mizuki!" Naruto beamed. He held up the large scroll to show Mizuki. "I did what you said and learned one of the jutsu's on here! Does that mean I pass?"

"Sure, just hand me the scroll." He said, looking around to make sure no one was around. Luckily he didn't spot me, as I now rested atop a branch directly above the two, that way I could hide the shine of my Leaf headband on my forehead.

"Are you going to put it back?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, whatever, just hand it here." Mizuki stated, clearly in a hurry. Naruto sensed this, as he placed the scroll protectively behind him.

"What's going on Mizuki? Where's my headband?"

"You don't get it, do you. Hand me the scroll!" Mizuki shouted, grabbing for Naruto. making my move, I dropped from the branch. Launching a quick kick to Mizuki's chest, I sent him sliding back. Dropping to quick crouch in front of Naruto, I drew my wakizashi and pointed the sharp edge towards Mizuki.

"For the sake of the village, I command you to stop, Mizuki."

"Kai? What're you doing here?!" Naruto said, surprised.

"Not important. Stay focused, he will be a tough opponent should things turn physical."

"The kid's right." Mizuki laughed, brushing himself off. "You made a big mistake. Now you'll die!" He charged, kunai drawn and aimed at my jugular. Blocking it with my wakizashi, I rolled him to the side.

"Naruto, get the scroll out of here!" I shouted. A moment later I heard him jump off, leaving me with a very pissed off Chunin.

"You should have just stayed out of it, kid." He said menacingly. "Now you'll pay with your life. I am a Chunin level Shinobi, what chance do you, a fresh Genin, stand against the likes of me?"

"A freshly trained Genin stands no chance." I admitted. "But you forget, I am a Shimada, and I am not alone. I'm paired with the future Hokage of the Leaf Village."

"BELIEVE IT!" Naruto shouted as he drop kicked Mizuki square in the back. The kick pushed him into me, where I began leaving slashes along his body with a flurry of attacks. Mizuki roared, kicking me away. He uppercutted Naruto, knocking him against the base of a tree. He turned back to me, and began beating on me relentlessly. It was all I could do to avoid as many blows as I could, having to roll with many of them. Mizuki was scoring a number of small cuts along my arms and torso, but not enough to cause serious harm. I would need som new clothes though. After what felt like ages, I saw an opening. I sent a quick kick to Mizuki's stomach, using him as a kickoff point to break out of his combo. Landing from a backflip, I flashed a few quick hand seals before ending in the Shimada hand seal.

"Dragon Release: Weapon Posession." I announced. Murasa swirled around, roaring. My tattoos and eyes both began glowing, giving a sinister look in the dark forest. Using the intimidation and speed boost to my advantage, I charged back in, going on the offensive. Mizuki was caught of guard by the sudden change in tactics, as he had to go onto the defensive. I sent many spinning slashes and quick kicks, but none were connecting. I slipped up when I put extra weight behind a horizontal slash, and the Chunin capitalized, sending a kick that launched me into a tree, knocking out my wind. Mizuki moved in for the kill, practically snarling.

Before he could get to me, Naruto jumped in. "Don't hurt him! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" 20 Narutos appeared, surrounding Mizuki. They all launched at him, pummeling the Chunin to the ground. Mizuki's screams were muffled by the sheer number of blonde's around him. When Naruto dispelled the jutsu, the man was unconscious on the ground. I got up, wincing from the pain, and made my way over to Naruto.

"Nice job, dude." I said, exhausted. "You really saved me there."

"It was nothing really," Naruto laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "it was the least I could do, you really saved me back there as well!"

"That I did." I laughed. "Where's the scroll?"

"Good question Kai." Itachi said, materializing behind me. "A better one is why you just beat up a Shinobi of the Leaf?"

"Well," I started, catching on t what Itachi was trying to do. "I came because Naruto left his shuriken at his desk. When I got here, Mizuki was trying to get Naruto to give him some sort of scroll, clearly with malintent, so I intervened. What exactly is that scroll, Naruto?"

"I d-don't know." He stammered out. Shaking off the fear, he continued. "Mizuki told me if I could sneak into the Hokage's house and take the scroll, then learn one of the jutsu on it, I could be a ninja. It had some seals on it, but there were only a few jutsu."

"Sounds like the Scroll of Seals." Itachi hummed. "I better get it, as well as my report to the Hokage. Where is the scroll Naruto?" Naruto pointed to a tree, earning a nod from the Uchiha. "Alright. You boys get on out of here. And Kai, next time let me know if you'll be late to dinner, ok?"

"Sure thing." I said with a wink. His nod told me everything that needed to be said. _Good job_. "Let's go to Ichiraku, my treat."

"ALRIGHT!"

* * *

Naruto slurped down a quick two bowls of beef ramen, before stopping, suddenly somber. "I'm not gonna be a ninja, am I?"

"I'm sure you will." I said, still on my first bowl. "You'll just have to wait another year and take the test again."

"But then I won't be on a team with you guys. I'll be the loser that has to join the year below us." He said, almost in tears.

"Cheer up, Naruto." Itachi said as he pushed through the curtains of the Ramen stand. "Teams are absolved at Chunin level, anyway. Unless a team works particularly well together, you can be mixed around with other teams or even take on missions by yourself."

"But that's still so far away…"

"Not exactly." Itachi announced. "I have some good news. After reading my report of the situation, Lord Third has come to a conclusion. Stealing the Scroll of Seals from the Hokage's mansion is a great show of ninja skills. You and another Genin were able to take down a Chunin level foe, showing great combat skills. You were also able to learn a high rank cloning jutsu in one night, overshadowing your lack of ability with the Clone Jutsu. On behalf of Lord Sarutobi, I welcome you into the Genin corp." Itachi handed Naruto a blue headband with the Leaf symbol on it. "You are to report to the classroom with your teammates tomorrow for team assignment. Understand?"

"Yes!" Naruto shouted. "Ha HA, I'm going to be a ninja!"

"Way to go, man!" I congratulated him. "You earned it."

"Thanks Kai!" Naruto beamed. We ended the night happily slurping away at noodles, chatting about our dreams of being Shinobi. We made a pact that day, when Naruto becomes Hokage he would make me one of his personal guards. In the event I would be Hokage, Naruto would also be a personal guard and advisor. Eventually we parted ways, heading home for the night, hoping to get some sleep before tomorrow.

* * *

 **So begins the official timeline. Naruto becomes a ninja, Iruka is nowhere to be seen, and Mizuki is locked away. Now we begin Kai's journey as a Shinobi. The vote for Team 7 is still open, so if you haven't voted yet, now's your last chance! The options are: Tenten, Kai, Ino, Sakura, or Hinata. Let me know what you think, and I will see you next week.**


	13. Chapter 13

When Worlds Collide

Chapter 13: Formations

 **Welcome back! Normally I would have some sort of announcement or reviews to respond to, but the only ones that were added since the last chapter votes and reasons for voting. Considering I show the vote in this chapter… no review responses! I do have some commentary at the end of the chapter, so make sure you check that out. Anyway, let's get on with it!**

* * *

We all sat in the classroom, waiting. Today was the day. Today, we learned who we would be teamed up with. Half of the room was speculating/dreaming of who they would be teamed up with. The other half nervously awaited the instructor, anxious over who they would be stuck with for the next year at the least. Me? I was sat next to Tenten laughing my ass off. Some things in this world are just meant to be I guess. Naruto and Sasuke kissing is one of those. So what if I was the one that bumped Naruto? Still counts!

When the fangirls started glaring, I turned to Tenten. I was going to make a comment about the hilarity of the situation, however I stopped myself when I saw her biting her nails. "What're you thinking about?" I asked.

"Well…" She began. "What if we end up on different teams? What if we end up on the same team as one of your fangirls? Will she hate me and intentionally sabotage me? What if we end up on the same team as someone weird, someone who doesn't mesh with us at all? What if…"

"Sweetie, I think you should quit rambling and watch the fangirls argue. Naruto just kissed Sasuke. Speaking of which…" I turned to Sasuke, whistling to get his attention. "Congrats on the first kiss, bro! When do we tell Itachi you came out of the closet?"

"Right after you tell him about what you and Tenten did last…"

"We made a pact, Sasuke!" I shouted, cutting him off. "We don't speak of that!"

"Settle down class!" Shouted Maran as he and Iruka walked through the door. We all sat down as fast as we could. Maran was not to be messed with. If you didn't do what he told you to, he made you run the rest of the day. "Today, you all entered as Academy graduates. You will leave as proud Genin of Konoha. I am proud of each and every one of you, and I wish you the best of luck on your journeys." He gave a quick bow and walked out the door.

"Alright everyone!" Iruka said. He pulled out a scroll and unrolled it. "On this scroll are the team assignments. I will read out names in groups of three. Each group will be one team. When I read out your name, you will receive instructions. Once you and your group has its instructions, you are to follow said instructions immediately. Any questions? No? Good. Let's begin."

Iruka began reading out the different names of the students that passed. I tuned out everyone, keeping attention for the names of my friends. It took a little bit, as he went in descending order. Finally, I heard one that mattered. "Team 10 will be comprised of Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji. You are to report to Training Field 6." So the old man kept InoShikaCho. Not surprising. That trio proved to be a force to be reckoned with. The Cho part of them can tank everything while Ino and Shika systematically destroy everyone. Smart move.

"On Team 8, we have Kiba, Shino, and Sakura." Wait, what!? "You are to report to the main gate of town." What the hell? So, Team 8 won't be as good at tracking, but I guess they would be better at rescue missions considering Sakura's healing potential. Interesting, that leaves…

"The last two teams, Team 6 and 7, are special cases. Neither of your mentors have shown up yet. Your instructions are to wait here until they arrive. On Team 7, we have Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata. Team 6 will be Tenten, Kai, and Seito." Seito, eh? Looking to the back corner of the room, I saw him. He had spiky black hair and steel colored eyes. He wore a grey robe with green swirls decorating the sides and back. The robe fell to his knees, but in the front the length stopped at his waist, showing his black pants. Emblazoned on the chest of the robe was a green bird, likely his clan's symbol. He met my gaze and nodded. Iruka began heading out the door. "I wish you all the best of luck, and I hope to see you as proud Shinobi."

When he left, I got up and walked over to Seito. "Hey." I said. "I'm Kai, and over there is Tenten. I wonder who our Jonin leader is going to be."

"No idea." He said, his voice smooth as silk. He motioned for me to sit in the chair beside him. When I did, he continued. "Whoever they are, they may have their hands full. I struggle seeing what our team's role will be."

"Same." I agreed. "One thing that may help is if we acquaint ourselves with each other's abilities. I'll go first. I specialize in bladed combat, but my Taijutsu isn't lacking either. I'm also adequate at stealth."

"I know." He replied. "You clearly forget, I'm the one that beat you for first place in stealth. I am also well versed in my clan's Taijutsu style, Sparrow Flight. What is Tenten versed in?"

"Well, she is very good with ranged weapons. She is decent at fuinjutsu, but has a much greater potential for it. She currently wants to be the next Tsunade, so she is training her chakra control to learn healing techniques."

"Interesting." Seito hummed. "If it were just the two of us, Reconnaissance would be our team's role, but throwing her in the mix changes things. I wonder how it will play out."

* * *

An hour later, Kakashi finally arrived. After being "pranked" by Naruto, Team 7 left for the roof. That left myself, Seito, and Tenten waiting alone in the room. Seito sat in the back corner, looking out the window, Tenten was sitting in the front reading a book, and I was drawing on the chalkboard. I was in the process of making my dragon mural when I heard it, a very light _scuff_. I quickly finished the detail I was working on and turned around. "Hey Seito, what do you think of this so far?" I asked, giving an alert stare at him.

He perked up, looking down at me from the top of the classroom. "It looks good. Though there's something _off_." His look told me he heard it too, and was on alert. A soft _tap_ was heard a moment later, and I turned to Tenten.

"What do you think, Tenten?" I asked, giving her the same look I gave Seito.

She glanced up from her book, examined the chalkboard, and went back to her book. "It looks great, I can't wait to see it finished." Shit, she doesn't know. Another _tap_ came from her side of the room, and it took all the control I had not to lash out towards the noise. In this situation, if Tenten knew about the intruder, we would have the advantage. We would be prepared for whatever the intruder has planned, and they would be caught off guard. But, now that Tenten is shown to be oblivious, whoever this is just found a target. I went back to the chalkboard, intently listening for anymore noises.

A few moments later, the intruder made their move. A few quick footfalls, and the intruder had Tenten held with a kunai by her throat. Tenten Shrieked, before her mouth was covered by the intruder's hand. I took this brief moment to assess. The intruder was a man, and he wore only black clothing. He was hooded, with a white wood mask with red stripes on it, carved in the shape of a cat's head. He had Tenten by the throat, and was looking at me. Seito was in the opposite corner of him, and I was alone at the chalkboard. Whoever this intruder was, he was good. He had both me and Seito helpless to do anything. If either of us made a move he would kill Tenten. Glancing at Seito, I was surprised when I saw him. He was sitting on the edge of the aisle seat, holding the edge of the desk. He was looking back at me with fear in his eyes. I needed to find a way to end this.

"Why are you here?" I called to the mystery man, slowly moving forward. "What do you want?"

The man did nothing but gently trace a line across Tenten's neck with the kunai, barely any pressure. Tenten immediately teared up and began letting out muffled cries of fear.

"Got it, don't move." I said, stopping with my hands up. "Still, you haven't answered my question. What do you want from us?" The man repeated the action, this time looking at Seito, who was now much closer to him. Seito stopped, before speaking.

"You should really pay more attention." Seito said with a smirk. Suddenly, Seito puffed into smoke, revealing his identity as a clone. The real Seito was behind him, and he delivered a swift kick to the intruder's ribcage. Instead of staggering the man, Seito's foot passed through the man, which caused him to melt into a puddle of water. The real intruder leapt through the window, shattering the glass, and kicked Seito in the back. The kick sent the Genin across the room, crashing him into the wall. He quickly chopped Tenten in the back of the neck, knocking her out. He then turned to me, staring me down. I rushed forward, drawing my wakizashi. I aimed a slash at his stomach, which he promptly jumped over, leaving him open to a roundhouse kick. When it connected, the man melted into a puddle. He suddenly materialized from the wall and lifted me by the neck, strangling me. His sudden grip caused me to drop my weapon, leaving me completely helpless to his attack. The man peered into my eyes from behind his canine mask. Wait…

"Release!" I shouted, flaring my chakra. The genjutsu crumbled away, revealing the true classroom. Seito was in the back of the room, restrained by water tendrils. Tenten was slumped over at her desk, and the man was in front of me, about the place some kind of seal tag on me. I quickly drew my wakizashi and shoulder rushed him, sending him sprawling to the floor. I leaped on top of the intruder, placing my wakizashi on his throat. "For the last time, what do you want with us!?"

"Congratulations." He said. That voice… The man erupted into crows, leaving me on my knees. A kick came from my left, sending me sprawling, before his foot planted itself on my chest in a pin. Itachi removed his mask. "You three would now be dead."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, myself Seito, and Tenten were sitting behind the middle desk at the front of the classroom. I had my arm draped around Tenten, trying to comfort her after her bout with Itachi's genjutsu. Apparently he used one that shows your worst fears, and she was, naturally, fairly shaken up. Itachi stood in front of us with his arms crossed, looking down at us with disdain.

"You three are supposed to be some of the top in your class, set to be the next generation of Shinobi." He said. "Yet a low level genjutsu completely incapacitated Tenten, and temporarily took you out of the fight, Kai. Seito was the only one to see it happen, and he broke it immediately, yet he was then restrained by a weak Water Jutsu. Kai broke free after that, but he failed to identify a clone. He was slow with his reaction, and it would've cost his life."

"Well," I interjected. "You are a Jonin. We only just graduated."

"I only used Genin level skills, Kai." Itachi said condescendingly. "That should have been a swift victory for you, it was three versus one."

We all hung our heads at this, defeated. "Does that mean we go don't get to be Shinobi?" Tenten asked, with tears in her eyes.

"No." Itachi sighed. "This was only test one of three. The first was a test of adaptability and preparedness. You failed. You will need to pass the next two if you hope to become Shinobi."

"Really?" Seito asked, excited. When Itachi nodded, he continued. "What will be our next test?"

"It will be knowledge based. We shall begin now. I will ask questions, and unless I specifically ask one, any may answer. Are you prepared?" Itachi asked. We all nodded, eager to continue. "Good. Kai, How can one break out of any genjutsu?"

"You find the weakness or discrepancy and either attack it, or forcefully dispel the illusion."

"Excellent. This can also be applied to another technique many Shinobi use. What is it?"

"Ninjutsu." Seito answered. "Every jutsu has a weakness, whether it be a flaw in what it does, the chakra cost, or the flaw in how it is cast."

"Correct." Itachi said, eyes showing a hint of pride. "This one is for Tenten. A ninja neglects the field they are most proficient in, favoring a style they idolize. What happens to the ninja in the long term?"

"They aren't as proficient as others?" She asked, unsure.

"Exactly. Their specific chakra network or body is not designed for what they are trying to learn, so it will never be as good as those with a body tailored to that style. For instance, I will never be exceptional in Ninjutsu. Sure, I am good with them, and know a decent amount, but Genjutsu is where I will always shine. Now, will this ideology affect said ninja's team?"

"Yes. They won't perform as well as one with better specialists." I said, understanding the purpose of the test. We needed to understand what we did wrong, or are doing wrong, in order to grow. Very clever, Itachi, very clever.

"Now, should you completely ignore all training of other fields solely to focus on your specialty?" The Uchiha asked.

"No." Tenten said with a sigh. Looks like she just found the reason too. Her Taijutsu scores had been slipping when she started training her ranged skills, and both started slipping when she decided she was going to be the next Tsunade. "A ninja shouldn't solely do one thing because they may end up away from their team, unable to fend for themselves."

"Very good, you answered my next question." Itachi said with a smile. "Well, you passed the knowledge test. A good Shinobi is one that learns. Take these answers and use them to strengthen yourself. You will need them for tomorrow, when we go on to the Skills Test."

"What will that entail?" Seito asked.

"You three will be sparring against me. What I will be testing shall remain a mystery until the end. Meet me at 7:00 tomorrow morning on Training Field 5 prepared for a fight." Itachi stated. He flashed a hand seal and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Well, that could've gone better." I said when the smoke cleared. "But hey, at least we have this last test."

"Yea, but now we are actually sparring him." Tenten said, panicked. "He's a Jonin and we are just now graduating the Academy. What chance do we stand?"

"Calm down." I said. "This is Itachi, the guy I live with. With him, there's always a catch when it comes to weaker opponents. Something he throws in to even the odds. Like using Genin level jutsu. There's going to be something, we just need to find what it is."

"Still, let's not go with our guards down." Seito advised. "There's always the possibility there won't be a catch."

"Fair enough."

* * *

The next day, I woke up at 5:30 to get ready. Itachi was already gone, and Sasuke was headed out to go and meet with Kakashi and the rest of Team 7. I made a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs and orange juice, then quickly threw my clothes on, strapped a kunai pack to my left thigh, placed my wakizashi blade horizontally across my lower back, and went out the door at 6:30. As I made my way through the streets, I hummed the tunes to a couple of rock songs from my old life to pump myself up. When I made it to the gate of the Training Field, Tenten and Seito were already waiting. I called out a greeting as I walked up.

"Hey Kai!" Tenten said with a smile. She gave me a quick hug and returned to her place beside Seito. "Seito and I were just discussing possible battle strategies. We came to the agreement that no matter what, we have to work as a team."

"Obviously." I stated. "We should do that no matter the opponent. I was thinking about this for most of the night. Itachi is primarily a genjutsu user, but he is still very much skilled in every other area. He likes to use his Crow Clones, but if we move to the water, he switches to Water Clones as they are more effective. If you see him use those switched around, stop, because you are in a genjutsu. He is also fairly defensive in his approach, so if you see him acting very aggressive, you're in a genjutsu. And whatever you do, do not look into his eyes when they turn red. Look at his torso."

"Got it." Seito said. "We'll keep that in mind. What should we do for battle formations? Tenten requested she stay back and cover us with ranged weapons, and I'm best at striking when the opponent cannot see me."

"I'll engage from the front, Tenten can cover, and I want you to come and assist me at first, then creep out and strike from behind."

"Do you think we'll win like that?" Tenten asked, excited.

"Absolutely not." I denied. "But I think we can pass with this. No matter what happens, we give it our all until the last moment."

"Right!" The two of them said in unison. We walked through the gate, following a short path through the trees. When we broke the tree line, we saw Itachi seated by a small pond, reading a book. He snapped it shut when he saw us and rose to his feet.

"Alright." He announced. "I hope you are prepared. You may attack me whenever." I nodded to my teammates, drew my wakizashi and charged in. Itachi immediately drew his tanto and dropped into a ready stance. I lead with a left diagonal slash, aiming to slice him from hip to shoulder. He deflected the strike with his tanto and threw a quick stab to my side. I spun away from the blow, then charged in for a horizontal slash, only for him to block the attack. Seito leapt from behind me, aiming an axe kick to Itachi's head. The Uchiha threw his left arm up and caught the blow on his forearm. He then pulled a Darth Maul and went into a hands-free cartwheel, simultaneously kicking Seito's side and throwing my arm to the side. When he landed, he took advantage of my exposed position and hit me with an uppercut. The punch sent me reeling back, barely on my feet. He spun around and launched a volley of shuriken, clashing perfectly with the ones Tenten had thrown. He also sent a kunai, which left a small cut on Tenten's shoulder.

"Dragon Release: Weapon Possession!" I roared, charging in alongside my Spirit Dragon.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu." Itachi said before I could get to him. A large fireball launched at me, halting my offense. I had to dive out of the way, effectively breaking my jutsu. The Weapon Possession lasts only as long as you are attacking. Looking at the battle, I began assessing the situation. Itachi was engaging Seito in Taijutsu while simultaneously matching Tenten shuriken for shuriken. He was keeping tabs on me, yet made no move to attack. That's odd. Usually a Shinobi, even a Genin, would move in on an opponent when they were down. He was clearly outmatching the two of them, and could easily make his way across to my prone self should he choose to. Now that I think of it, he isn't even trying to close on our ranged user, he's just matching her attacks. Wait a second…

"Tenten, Seito, stop! Quit fighting!" I shouted. The two did as I said, confused. Itachi simply stood with a small smirk on his face. I got up and stood 10 feet **(a little more than 3 meters for my metric readers)** in front of the Jonin, staring him directly in his onyx eyes. I activated some of Murasa's Chakra, causing my eyes and tattoos to start glowing. Itachi matched this by activating his Sharingan. We stared each other down a few more moments, before I launched a kunai. Itachi quickly deflected it with one of his own. I deactivated my chakra, and Itachi deactivated his Sharingan.

"What's next, Kai?" Itachi asked innocently.

"Nothing, cause this test is over, Itachi." I said.

"What?!" Tenten asked. "Did he hit you too hard or something?"

"No." I said with a smirk. "I just figured out what the catch is. He's only matching what we are doing. He matched Taijutsu with Taijutsu, range with range, and ninjutsu with ninjutsu. He's acting as a sort of reflection of our own attacks. So that begs the question. How do you beat your reflection? By leaving the mirror."

"Very good, Kai." Itachi said, confirming my words. "Not only did you solve the puzzle, you also showed adequate skill. You placed yourselves in positions that paired with your current strengths. I will say, you three should work on your teamwork. That felt as though it were three people launching individual offenses, and not one strong offense. That is to be expected, though. You three did just begin fighting alongside others. Overall, you three pass. You have the rest of the day off, I'll see you tomorrow when we begin missions." He disappeared in another puff of smoke.

"Well, who wants to go get some Ichiraku?"

* * *

 **Well, this chapter established a couple things. We see the Rookie Teams, as well as meet our next OC. Fun stuff. Anyway, I said there would be commentary, so I might as well get on with that.**

 **So, let me start out with an introduction. Hi, my name is Will, and I am one of three writers that make up Lightning Abliss. If you recall from previous chapters, I have writing buddies that help me with this story. Well, that was a bit of an understatement. We all have our own lives and cannot always write a chapter a week, at least, not a longer one. To get around this, we either break the chapter into pieces for each of us to write, or we write a whole chapter ourselves. That's why you may see some chapters with completely different tones and potentially writing styles. Like, this chapter, one that I wrote today to allow as many votes as possible, is a little bit different in style from Chapter 11, which was written entirely by another of the three. I like to write more detailed fights, whereas another of us likes to write more detailed conversations. Just something I thought would be interesting for you to know.**

 **So, another thing I wanted to address is tone. These last few chapters are much more "happy go lucky" than the first chapters. This is done on purpose. We are actually in the process of writing for the Chunin Exams, and consequentially planning for what will be essentially be Season 2 of this series. You'll understand what I mean when we get to that point. Anyway, a lot of important events happen in the Chunin Exams, which means a lot of potential changes can occur. Deciding which ones to mess with, how to mess with them, and planning repercussions takes a good bit of time. Once we have all of those figured out, we can write the chapters. Consider the chapters leading to that as a sort of filler, only it's a filler that sets up a larger event. So, not really a filler. More like a down period. Stream of Consciousness writing at its finest ladies and gentlemen.**

 **TL:DR Version, I am one of three people writing this story, and the chapters leading up to the Chunin Exams are a bit of a down period so we can prepare for that. Leave a Review telling me what you think, any ideas you have, or to tell us we suck. Seriously. All that being said, I will see you next week.**


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